Learning to See the Forest for the Trees

Like most of South Jersey, Haddonfield loves its trees, and it’s easy to see why.

Huge, towering trees form a shady, emerald canopy over borough streets, cooling sidewalks on even steamy days.

Like its stately homes and solid schools, Haddonfield’s trees set the town apart. The borough even has a Shade Tree Commission to set forth the rules and regs regarding the planting and removal of trees.

No one loves a lovely holly or oak more than I, but lately I’ve been re-thinking my position.

Here’s why: I’m not absolutely certain, but I blame trees, more specifically tree roots, for twisting a horizontal Cape May sidewalk on the darkest of streets, causing my face and left knee to meet the ground in a most unpleasant way.

Thwack!

I am now wearing what you’d call facial road rash. My husband spent part of Saturday night Googling “concussion symptoms.”

Everything seems to be OK now, but I’m still holding a tree grudge.

And it’s not just these particular Shore trees that I’ve developed a dislike for. My tree prejudice is growing quickly, like Dutch elm disease.

I live near Haddonfield in a South Jersey suburb, a lot we bought specifically for its trees, but I learned that trees can cast a long shadow.

It all began when a massive tree destroyed my gazebo during a storm and came very close to taking out part of the second-floor guest room, Now, I hate super-windy nights. The howling outside reminds me of the scary beginning of The Wizard of Oz.

OK, I’m exaggerating.

Some of my neighbors were never tree-lovers, so I don’t know why they bought lots in a development filled with trees. Some removed huge trees to build pools, or in one case, to insert a small patch of unremarkable grass. Another homeowner rudely sprayed a gigantic oak on my property, home to owls. He said the poison ivy was a risk to his kids.

We erected a fence, mostly to protect our greenery.

So, in summary, I have been a friend to trees.

But now I see the other side. You could say I see the forest for the trees.

Shade makes it harder to grow annuals. Forget about vegetables. I remember speaking to some participants at Crow’s Woods Community Garden who mentioned their own shady yards—hence their interest in a community plot where the sun could effectively reach the heirloom tomatoes and green beans.

What do I have growing? Well, the shade in my own yard has prompted the growth of nasty mossy stuff on my deck. Ugh.

New Jersey’s first poet—Joyce Kilmer, not Bruce Springsteen—wrote “I think that I shall never see/A poem lovely as a tree.”

If you agree, feel free to put your money where your mouth is.

The borough website describes the town’s commemorative tree donation program. A nice tree goes in the ground, with an accompanying plaque.

Priceless, you say? Not exactly. The 8- to 12-foot tree will cost you $1,000.