Dear Editor:
I was elated to read “Church Square Park’s trees saved” in The Hoboken Reporter (Aug. 5). The reporter writes, “And no…the [final] plans do not call for cutting down several aged trees that residents near the park feared would be victims of the city’s zeal for improvements.”
A consistent and vocal group of over one-hundred activist-citizens turned out, and some wrote letters pleading to spare the decades old trees. Mary Ondrejka wrote: “…to eliminate healthy trees that took generations to reach their current heights is unfathomable. It is anathema to me to destroy nature to rearrange the positioning of the basketball courts. Cut down health trees? You cannot restore 80 to 100 year old trees once they are destroyed.”
It is ironic that Hoboken activists prevailed and saved their five trees. Here in Union City, Block 3, of Washington Park will turn into a killing field. Most of the 80 year old sycamores or London Plane Trees will be destroyed to expand the Cal Ripken baseball field in the near future. I, too, find this anathema and abominable.
In future letters I will demonstrate to the readers, residents surrounding the park, and park goers that of the 51 trees in Washington Park, all but 8 (possibly 9) will be killed. And I will demonstrate why the vast majority of these trees are still healthy to counter the false claim, in my view, that they would have to be destroyed anyway due to disease or excessive topping.
Burn this in your memory. Only nine out of the 51 trees, mostly on Patterson Plank Road, are unsound or severely mishappen or rotted or missing outer bark. Don’t be deceived. Go now and see for yourself, count for yourself, verify for yourself. 43 trees will be killed out of 51. Union City’s Washington Park will go from a natural oasis to a killing field.
In defense of aged trees,
Tony Squire