“Nobody moves to the neighborhood because there are 20 year old trees. It changes what the whole area feels like.”
Charlene Barnes, Old GreenwichNancy Ramer who lives in Riverside said, “There is clearly a safety issue here, but I don’t think the remediation is to take the tree down.”
She suggested adding signage to indicate a warning about visibility and posting the speed limit.
Also, she said, “I went on the website and found nothing at all about this hearing. I found notices about a series of previous hearings this year, the last one on Oct 8. There’s nothing telling you there is a hearing today on the website.”
“If the tree has 10 more years of life, that’s a long time,” Ramer said.
Julie DesChamps of Old Greewnich said she was saddened by the loss of so many trees in the neighborhood. She asked the town to find a compromise, “a little creative thinking,” possibly some signage, mirrors to enhance visibility, to avoid the removal of the tree.
“It’s surprising we haven’t taken these measures after decades of accidents and other problems. I’m hoping a compromise can be reached,” DesChamps said.
Margot Mabie said succinctly, “If the tree has more life in it, we should do what we can to keep it going.”
Mabie suggested creating a three-way stop, which she suggested would have the impact of slowing traffic going into the village.
Francia Alvarez, the advocacy chair for Greenwich Tree Conservancy said mature street trees were indeed valuable.
She said settled street treescapes typically contain larger trees and therefore store more carbon per tree than interior forests, resulting in noise reduction and reduced carbon emissions.
“In addition climate change is also an enormous to our CT trees,” she said. “We are all living with the increased frequency and intensity of storms.”
Susie Baker asked the town to protect the majestic tree.
“It deserves the dignity of being protected if it is a ‘champion’ tree,” she said. “It adds so much character to the area and takes your eye away from the outrageous looking electric lines around it.”
The hearing continued for almost two hours. After everyone had a chance to speak, Dr. Kramer said he would issue his decision in three business days.
See also:
Tree Warden Rules on Mature Trees Posted for Removal on Glenville Rd
October, 2020
Greenwich Tree Warden Rules on Sunshine Ave 50-Inch Diameter White Oak
May, 2020