Montgomery Street Tree Removal

With heavy hearts the Mayor and undersigned members of the Village Board of Trustees voted on Tuesday, September 20 to remove 22 Norway maples along Montgomery Street. These trees have been tortured by human interference due to their location under the power lines and rising temperatures due to climate change, and the experts on the Village Tree Commission made the case that it was past time to let them go.

They will be replaced by a variety of more than 30 trees – some understory trees like cherry, crabapple, and hawthorn under the lines and some top story trees like oaks, planes, catalpas, honey locusts, and tulips next to sidewalks away from power lines. By planting multiple kinds of trees with varied growth patterns and life expectancies, we will be creating a diverse ecosystem for wildlife and insects as well as a healthier urban forest, so we will never again be in a situation where more than twenty trees need to be removed all at once.

We are firmly aware that this situation is far from ideal. The trees set for removal have been wrapped in green tape. We acknowledge that they have served the Village well by shading the sidewalk and road and providing comfort and beauty for all. Our goal is to provide the same delights to future generations.

We will stay in communication about this project as dates firm up and the project moves forward. We do know that the trees will be removed sometime before October 29 because that is when the new trees will be planted.

We’d like to thank the tireless volunteers on the Tree Commission for their hard work on this effort, and the Frost Foundation for providing the needed funding.

If you’d like to learn more, information has been provided on the Tree Commission webpage.

Mayor Bassett, Trustees Bertozzi, Lewit, and Slaby