Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1911-01-06

The law provides for shade tree |
commission of three freeholders who
shall serve without compensation, and
who shall have the exclusive and alb
solute control and power to plant, set
out, maintain, protect and care for
shade trees in any of the public high
ways" of its municipality. A later sta
tute gives the same commission eXclu
sive control of the public parks.
The street trees which were nobody's
particular care are now committed to
the custody of three leading citizens
adequately empowered, whose zeal,
civic patriotism, love of trees and adj
ministrative ability are concentrated
on maintaining and promoting the well
fare of the trees of their home city.
The advantages of his arrangement are
not only obvious in prospect, but have
been demonstrated in Newark and else
where.
The status of street trees is raised,
for they stand forth now before all the
people as the special wards of a spec
ial municipal department specially
created TO protect them. The fine
stately old trees which have come down
to US from the fathers, but which have
so long been strangers to considerate
treatment, at last are coming into their
own. Not only does commission pro-
tect them; public sentiment which is
constantly enlarging co-operates.
The commission is not only warden
of the older trees but also planter of
the new. Here in Newark, where the
law has been in force six years, II, 600
young trees on 102 miles of streets
have been set out. Picture this! One
hundred and two miles of new plant
ings, adjoining the streets, gladdening
the eye, cooling and purifying the air
and enhancing the city's beauty and
wealth. There they stand and grow,
increasing in stature and fulfilling the
promise of their sapling days. Of
course this increase in growth and
beauty is not the result merely of
'time and elements" for tree COM
mission is required Systematically to
mulch, trim, spray, fertiliZe and other
wise nurture its young.
An innovation is the authority of a
shade tree commission to assess the
cost of new paintings against the pro-
perty in front of which they are set
out. This becomes a lien. The money
from this source is reinvested in other
| paintings. Only the actual cost of the
tree, guard, stake and labor is so taxed.
The average assessment last year was
So. SO. This covers once for all the en-
tire cost. If the tree dies it is replaced
under the guarantee without extra
charge to the property.
The commission is required to give
public "notice of intention" to plant
certain streets or portions of streets,
through zone or more of the news
papers of the municipality. After "a
hearing to all persons who appear in
relation to such contemplated improve
ments' the streets to be planted are
finally determined. Instructions are
then given to 90 ahead, and the season S
planting is begun.
Planting-pits are dug at distances of
thirty-three feet. Where the sidewalk
is cut pains are taken to have the walk
in good condition. From each pit fifty
six cubic feet of earth are removed and
replaced with good soil enriched with
fertilizer. When the soil has settled,
the tree is set in place with wire
guard topped with a rubber collar, and
a stake to hold it steady until it has got
its own firm grip on mother earth.
The trees for each street are all of one
specimen and of equal size With
forty clear days in both spring and fall,
the two planting seasons, and setting
]
will be a, 900 more trees to adorn twelve
more miles of streets and to begin the
Transforming of commonplace thorough
fares into park-like highways, over
arched with waving trees uniform in
specie and size.
The bill shows the property owner
that the cost assessed against him for
the excavating, the subsoiling, the
tree, the guard, the stake, and the
guarantee is less than what he would
have to pay nursery for the tree
alone. This saving to the property
owner, made possible by the wholesale
nature of the operations, will explain
how the commission can advertise
thirty miles of streets or sixty miles of
property front and not find one owner
opposed.
The shade tree statute does not be-
come operative until the governing
body" of municipality authorizes the
appointment of a commission. Over
thirty cities and towns of New Jersey,
differing in population from 387, 900 to
1000, have elected to place their trees
in the care of commission. In all
these communities the problem of the
care, increase and protection of street
trees is being studied by these local
conserVers OF the city trees assets. 10
appoint commission is to set in mo-
ton legal mechanism adequate munic-
ipal control.
This is the story of six years pro-
gress in New Jersey, the pioneer years
of preparatory work. 1t is fair to ex-
pect cumulative progress in supervis-
ing street trees and preventing every
form of destructive agency during the
next five years. Through l. Horace
McFarland's initiative similar statue
is operative in Pennsylvania, Buffalo
and Chicago, and the countrywide ex-
change list of the Newark commission
demonstrates how general is the in
terest in this method, now no longer
an experiment. These sowings of test
ed seeds will surely mature in more
general adoption of the law All over
the country communities are gradully
realizing that the tree is as much a
friend to men in the CITY as in tbe