Tree Preservation
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is today. – Chinese Proverb
Overall Bronxville maintains a healthy tree canopy; however, in recent years, we’ve lost as many as 50 mature canopy trees to storms. The Village has lost additional trees to construction projects, especially home renovations that expand the built environment and require the removal of trees, and to private decisions to cut down healthy trees. As our mature trees near the end of their natural lives, they become more vulnerable to disease and, for the safety of us all, sometimes need to be removed.
Why is it important to ensure that our tree canopy will still be strong 25 and 50 years from now? All trees, especially mature native trees, offer enormous ecological benefits:
Trees help fight climate change in two ways by storing carbon in their biomass and in the soil, especially in their roots; and by transpiration, the process in which they take up water through their roots and release it through their leaves as water vapor that cools the air.
Trees reduce flooding by absorbing large amounts of rainwater. Leaves and twigs hold rain for some time, delaying its journey to the ground and allowing more time for the water to be absorbed into the earth instead of running off into storm drains.
Trees clean our drinking water. NYC's celebrated tap water (which Bronxville shares!) is made possible by thousands of acres of forested watershed, which filters out pollutants.
Trees remove air pollution and muffle sound. Trees remove pollutants from the air, improving air quality and human health. They help subdue urban noise, making neighborhoods more pleasant to live in.
Trees provide privacy and turn an ugly space into a beautiful one.
Trees that are native to our area provide food and habitat for local wildlife. To begin to reverse alarmingly sharp declines in biodiversity across the planet, we need to add trees and other plants that have evolved along with local living creatures and are uniquely designed to provide their food and shelter.
Trees significantly increase home values. A good tree canopy makes communities highly desirable places to live.
Trees contribute to our mental and physical well-being. Commonsense knowledge that’s now backed by scientific studies--and add immeasurable aesthetic appeal. They give us joy.
What is a native tree? A native tree is one that occurs naturally in a local ecosystem – not introduced by humans! They adapt well to their environment and don’t require additional water while maintaining natural limits on their growth as not to overcrowd. They also provide many ecological benefits such as providing food and shelter for wildlife!
Native trees are the best trees for our area!
Red & Sugar Maple, Yellow Birch, River Birch, American Beech, White Ash, Sweet Gum, Tulip Trees, Magnolia, Black Gum, Black Tupelo, White Pine, Sycamore, White Oak & Northern Red Oak, American Elm, Black Cherry
A giant Black oak tree on Beechwood Road c1790
Town historian Ray Geselbracht recently unearthed a fascinating document. In 1976, as part of Bronxville’s Bicentennial Celebration, the Boulder Ledge Garden Club assembled an inventory of Bronxville’s specimen and historic trees, complete with maps indicating where the trees were located.
Walking the Village today, you can see which of these special trees still exist. On 3 Hemlock is a stand of Tulip trees from the 1840s! On 6 Beechwood Road stands a giant Black oak that dates from 1790!
Books about Trees:
The Overstory
Richard Powers
The Island of Missing Trees
by Elif Shafak
The Hidden Life of Trees
by Peter Wohlleben
Finding the Mother Tree
by Suzanne Simard
Greenburgh Nature Center BLOG!
Westchester County's Information on Trees
Caring for Trees
Schedule a tree analysis with an arborist: A professional can best determine the health and stability of a tree in your yard and provide advice on how to care for it. What you pay an arborist now for a sound assessment might save you money later, ensure a long life for your tree, and provide your family with years of enjoyment.
Eliminate chemicals: Soil that has been chemically treated over many years can become degraded as the organic components—the trillions of microscopic living organisms that enrich soil—are compromised. To improve soil health for trees over time, add mulch and compost to at least some portion of the tree’s root zone. As a tree matures, its root system will also act to improve the health of the surrounding soil.
Plant native trees: Trees that are local to our area—such as White oaks, Black tupelo, and Sugar maples--tend to be more resilient than ornamental species from other countries. As trees face greater stresses from heat, drought, and disease, a wide variety of native species in your yard will ensure that should the worst happen, some trees will survive. Native trees also address drastic declines in biodiversity by supporting local insects, birds, and mammals with food and shelter. Defining the Landscapes of Bronxville, published by the Bronxville Historical Conservancy (2016) and available in the Bronxville Library, offers a detailed appendix describing Bronxville’s native trees, with photos. Native tree information can also be found here.
Cut invasive vines: Oriental bittersweet, Porcelain berry, English ivy, and Mile-A-Minute are just a few invasive species, common to our area, that climb tree trunks and smother foliage. Once well established, they can weaken, kill, and bring down otherwise healthy trees. It’s important to cut the vines near their base and allow them to die. Never attempt to pull them off the tree, which can endanger you and further harm the tree.
Consider trees when changing or adding hardscape: More frequent storms, and an increasingly built-up environment, make trees more vulnerable. Every time we pave over or build something new on the land, we reduce the area for rainwater to seep into the ground. The open land that remains becomes waterlogged faster. Because most tree roots are only two feet deep and run horizontally well beyond the drip line of the tree, this saturation weakens the tree. Digging or paving over can harm the tree’s root system. It can also change rainwater run-off patterns, which can impact trees.
Be proactive after a storm: Check for broken or hanging limbs, trunk cracks, or newly exposed roots. Hire a professional to remove any hazards. Resist the urge to over prune and never top your trees. Any professional who is pruning your trees should take care to preserve what experts call their architecture, the balanced placement of limbs along the trunk that give trees their stability and strength.
One key to maintaining a healthy tree canopy is to include trees of all ages—from saplings to mature trees. When you lose a mature tree on your property, please consider replacing it. In fact, don’t wait for the older tree to come down. Plant a young tree today so that when its elder does die, it will be well on its way to maturity. And remember, autumn is a great time to plant trees!