By Nic Corbett/For The Star-Ledger
October 18, 2009, 6:29AM
VERONA -- To some Verona residents, an 80-year-old leafy tree along South Prospect Street adds to the neighborhood’s old-world charm.
But to the township and a resident whose car was twice badly damaged by the American sycamore’s falling limbs, the 60-foot tree is another accident waiting to happen.
David Gard/New Jersey Local News ServiceVerona officials say this tree on South Prospect Street has caused accidents with its falling branches, and now the insurance policy won't cover it. But some residents want the otherwise healthy tree to stay.
A few neighbors are trying to block the township from chopping down the tree, believing there’s nothing wrong with it. Lucia Burnham, who lives near the tree, said in the event workers suddenly appear to take it away, she’s prepared to call up her friends to circle round it. She stopped the tree’s removal the first time around, near the end of September. She said she wants the township to look at alternatives, such as making that side of the street a “no parking” zone.
The tree is under the township’s purview since it’s situated on the grassy median between the sidewalk and the street. Because two claims have been filed with the township’s insurance company to cover the auto damage, township manager Joe Martin said Verona is “on notice” that the tree is problematic. This means, if another accident were to happen, the township could be held liable.
“I don’t want a tree branch falling on a child who lives in the area,” Martin said. “We are aware this tree has a history of problems, and that factor will be considered when I make a decision within the next couple of weeks.”
The tree has been subject to pruning twice in the last year, but those haven’t helped, said Bob Prout, a member of Verona’s volunteer shade tree commission, which is in charge of the township’s tree management. Creating a no-parking zone wouldn’t solve all problems.
“What’s that going to do if branches come down on a wire and take out the electricity?” he said.
Burnham said a certified arborist she and fellow activists asked to look at the tree determined it was healthy and saw no justifiable reason to take it down. The arborist declined to comment until after he spoke with the township manager.
“It can be a healthy tree, but it still can be an insurance risk,” Martin said. “I’m not discounting that the tree would’ve lived for several more years, but it appears to be a risk when limbs fall off.”
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