Dear Editor:
Beautiful shade trees take many decades to reach maturity. Their obvious benefits include shade, helping to keep city air clean and pure, and providing a large crown of leaves to wildlife.
Now, the towns of Weehawken and Union City are felling large numbers of these majestic trees along Palisade Avenue as part of a sidewalk “beautification” project. We who live in the neighborhood are aghast, because many of the old trees are not only perfectly healthy and straight but have level pavement in good condition beneath them. Despite many requests, the towns have so far failed to provide a written arborist’s report detailing how decisions have been made regarding each individual tree.
In just the last three days, seventy-nine people have signed a petition to halt the destruction of this great resource while a more conservative approach to the infrastructure renewal can be worked out. We call on the two towns to take our concern seriously, stop cutting down trees immediately, and devise a more rational plan to preserve our neighborhood’s character and beauty.
Peter Borten
