Tree Removal on St. Lawrence Ave.

Sad to see a beautiful old sycamore tree removed on St. Lawrence Avenue by Maplewood Tree Experts yesterday.  As far I could tell the only problem it had was a lot of ivy on the trunk.  I question whether a permit was issued for this removal and if so why.


From my and my neighbors dealing with tree removal, most removal companies will not take trees down without a town permit (which requires inspection). My neighbor got around this by 'trimming' all the trees in his yard until they looked like tall naked stalks of broccoli... and hoping they will not survive.


That is terrible Sprout. You think with this warming trend people would want trees. But maybe there mentality is just blast the ac. 



We used Maplewood Tree to take down a couple of unhealthy trees in our yard that we were worried would hit the house or our neighbor's house during the next big storm.  We also have a huge oak that is probably too big for the size of the yard.  However, Maplewood Tree was adamant they would need to get a permit to remove it and even then, they believed the permit would be denied by the town.  We were totally fine with not removing it given that it's still healthy, provides great shade during the summer and would cost a small fortune.  So, while I can't guarantee Maplewood Tree got the permit, I do believe based off of my experience that they are very responsible and would err on the side of caution.  



sprout said:

From my and my neighbors dealing with tree removal, most removal companies will not take trees down without a town permit (which requires inspection). My neighbor got around this by 'trimming' all the trees in his yard until they looked like tall naked stalks of broccoli... and hoping they will not survive.

They did this where I work and we all thought the trees would be dead. They grew back better than ever.



marylago said:

sprout said:

From my and my neighbors dealing with tree removal, most removal companies will not take trees down without a town permit (which requires inspection). My neighbor got around this by 'trimming' all the trees in his yard until they looked like tall naked stalks of broccoli... and hoping they will not survive.
They did this where I work and we all thought the trees would be dead. They grew back better than ever.

Yup. Not speaking for the motivations or skills of sprout’s neighbor, but my dad, a landscaper, has had more than one new client bristle at an aggressive pruning only to marvel at the result a year or two later.


I haven't paid much attention since the trimming, but will take a closer look at how their trees are doing in the spring.



h4daniel said:

That is terrible Sprout. You think with this warming trend people would want trees. But maybe there mentality is just blast the ac. 

Trees are good for the planet but they are bad for solar panels which are also good for the planet.  The best solution is lots of trees that don't cast shade on the roof. We're going to have to cut back an evergreen to boost the output of a new solar system so we can generate more clean energy.


quercus:  Did you ever find out any details about the permit? That particular street has some serious tree smarts.



dickf3 said:

quercus:  Did you ever find out any details about the permit? That particular street has some serious tree smarts.

I don't think quercus was planning to do any investigation into whether a permit was issued. Rather, just offering a suspicion and accusation that it wasn't. 

Tree health is hard to assess. We had a massive black oak removed from our back yard in South Orange when we moved here. It looked okay on the outside but the core was rotten from the base to over 20 feet up. The following winter could very easily have brought it down on our house or our neighbors with potentially devastating results.

I don't know why the tree in question was removed but coming on a public message board and accusing a neighbor and local business of breaking the law is not cool. 


It's hard to tell in December if a tree is healthy, since all the others have also lost their leaves.  It could be that the tree was showing signs of distress during the summer.  I agree with the other comments that Maplewood Tree is a reputable firm, and I would be very surprised if they did not comply with the Township's requirements.


The guys at Maplewood Tree Experts are some of the best contractors I’ve come in contact with. Notice the name is not “Maplewood Tree Removal”. The one brother is an arborist, the other runs the removal crew. They do what they can to save sick trees, and when they can’t, the doctor calls the mortician.


There is no chance that the job was not permitted. If the OP was worried about it he could have asked the crew. He/she would have learned something about trees and how to know when they gotta go.


A tree is in the news today. The Jackson magnolia pictured on the White House lawn on the $20 bill is being taken down. Over the years "leaders" have grown and the tree has needed assistance. Sometime before Trump returns to Washington it will be gone. Fortunately they have a sapling started from a Jackson magnolia seed which will be planted in the same location.


mrincredible said:

Tree health is hard to assess. We had a massive black oak removed from our back yard in South Orange when we moved here. It looked okay on the outside but the core was rotten from the base to over 20 feet up. The following winter could very easily have brought it down on our house or our neighbors with potentially devastating results. 

 Ain't that the truth.  One of my old oak trees saw fit to drop a branch at least 18" in diameter on my street taking out everybody's power.  Luckily nobody was hurt and no cars were damaged.  I think the moral of the story is that the large, older trees are a bit of a hazard and I would be inclined to err on the side of safety and have big trees removed and replaced with new trees.


quercus said:
Sad to see a beautiful old sycamore tree removed on St. Lawrence Avenue by Maplewood Tree Experts yesterday.  As far I could tell the only problem it had was a lot of ivy on the trunk.  I question whether a permit was issued for this removal and if so why.

 A tree owned by the town or a homeowner?


yahooyahoo said:


quercus said:
Sad to see a beautiful old sycamore tree removed on St. Lawrence Avenue by Maplewood Tree Experts yesterday.  As far I could tell the only problem it had was a lot of ivy on the trunk.  I question whether a permit was issued for this removal and if so why.
 A tree owned by the town or a homeowner?

I would not criticize any homeowner for removing very large trees.  I'm having one removed soon for the latest offense of dropping an 18" branch on the street.  And probably another 90+ year-old oak that towers over my house.  I'm tired of being nervous during windstorms.


^ same. 

We have what looks like a triple trunked tulip tree and some type of huge pine/spruce within 20 feet of our house. 

Ironically this past weekend overnight a neighbors tulip tree broke at the trunk about 20 feet up and toppled into part of our yard. Had it fallen in the other direction it would have either landed on or taken out all these trees which in turn would have taken down half my house. 

I have not slept well since. They are way too big for the space. And since they block views of NYC I'm sure neighbors up the hill will be cheering when they're gone.


shh said:
^ same. 
We have what looks like a triple trunked tulip tree and some type of huge pine/spruce within 20 feet of our house. 
Ironically this past weekend overnight a neighbors tulip tree broke at the trunk about 20 feet up and toppled into part of our yard. Had it fallen in the other direction it would have either landed on or taken out all these trees which in turn would have taken down half my house. 
I have not slept well since. They are way too big for the space. And since they block views of NYC I'm sure neighbors up the hill will be cheering when they're gone.

 Tulip poplar trees grow very tall and are not storm sturdy.  



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