Trying to Save a Tree on Main Street

A large tree on Main Street has been granted a stay of execution.

The elm is right in front of Sherwin Williams on Main right near North Passaic Avenue. It is tall and curves over the road, blocking the view of a traffic light for some eastbound drivers on Main Street, according to Mayor Nelson Vaughan.

The state Department of Transportation told the borough the tree would need to be taken down, according to Vaughan. The state owns the sidewalk on which the tree is planted because Main Street is a state highway—New Jersey Route 124—and has jurisdiction over the 130-year old mainstay.

"It's not so bad when you're going west, but going east it's fairly close to the light," Vaughan said. "Big vehicles can't see the light as clearly."

The DOT received a complaint from someone about the tree. Vaughan said the agency really doesn't baby trees and improve them if they are problematic. "They just cut them down," Vaughan said.

So the borough has attempted to do something that would allow it to save the tree. The DOT had wanted to cut down the tree Friday, but the borough asked for more time to conduct an evaluation to see if it is worth saving.

If it is, Vaughan said, the borough will likely look to assume liability for the tree so it would no longer be the state's responsibility. The municipality checked with its insurance carrier, and as long as it cares for the tree, it would be covered by insurance.

There is a distinct chance, however, that the tree is not salvageable, according to Vaughan.

"This tree does look like it's about to topple over, to be honest," Vaughan said.

If the tree cannot be saved, Vaughan said the borough may turn to Keene, N.H.-based Elm Tree Institute, a non-profit that Vaughan said gives away free, healthy American elm trees. It may decide to replace the current tree with one from the institute.

"We're going to try to save it if we can," Vaughan said. "If it makes sense."