And Now It's Gone

By 9:50 a.m., when Freddy and I drove by there to check out the situation, the ancient silver maple was already down. A reader provided this picture.

Yesterday afternoon, when word spread of the tree's imminent demise, Hilary Hillman, former chair of the Conservation Advisory Council and well-known advocate for tree planting and urban forestry, shared this statement with members of the CAC, some folks in City Hall, and others, including Gossips:

Ordinarily you would probably find me protesting the removal of a robust elder of the community; in this situation I am in complete empathy for the homeowners who live under this "Damocles' Sword." The tree grew in an arc that curves from the front sidewalk over the two-story circa 1890 house and much of the canopy shades the backyard. There must be an amazing root structure that extends under the street and under many homes in the vicinity. With the advent of multiple rainstorms deluging the city and storm water run-off challenging our aging sub-garde infrastructure there is an ever escalating possibility that the tree will have a catastrophic failure. If the sub-garde soil has been eroded away and the massive root system has been compromised, the sheet weight of the trunk and canopy would cause the roots to heave and likely damage the stability of the surrounding homes, the street, sidewalks, gas and water lines.

Removing the tree will not only relieve the threat of sudden death that the Silver Maple holds over the people living under it, the roots, if undisturbed, will continue to do their part as a natural infrastructure web to retain soil and stabilize homes.

The Grand Dame has served well, as a Silver Maple, she and her ilk have been in the top third of oxygen producers in the city; her roots will continue to do the silent, unseen task of retaining soil on the 500 block of Union Street. Farewell m'lady.