Letter: Alternatives to taking down trees?
David Cushman, who lives on Maple Drive in New Hyde Park and was one of the organizers of a block party held Saturday night, walks past the debris from a tree limb that fell and injured four people during the party. (Sept. 8, 2013) Credit: Newsday / Audrey C. Tiernan
I am the son of a successful contractor who planted street trees under contract for the Nassau County Department of Public Works in the late 1960s and 70s ["Residents: Stop removing trees," News, Nov. 7]. My father was an International Society of Arboriculture certified arborist. Was Nassau County doing it wrong back then?
Nassau was a young, growing suburb. Developer William Levitt was landscaping homes and neighborhood streets. People moved out of the city for a suburban lifestyle. Nassau County didn't have it wrong back then. The idea was to plant trees along all county roads to create beautiful borders like those at Gold Coast mansions on the North Shore. There are many benefits of trees: They offer beauty and shade, hide utility lines, catch rainwater, etc.
Now because of sidewalk issues, the trees are under attack by the same Nassau County that planted them. Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, legislators and the Department of Public Works need to get on board with alternatives that are readily available to save trees. Let's do this and maintain our beautiful lifestyle.
James Caracciolo, Freeport
Editor's note: The writer is an ISA-certified arborist and street tree contractor.
