On Friday, April 25th, the historic Dingletown Church property, located at 376 Stanwich Road, was transferred to Greenwich Land Trust with the goal of protecting this special and historic place.
Greenwich Land Trust, in collaboration with the Dingletown Church leadership, crafted a robust set of preservation restrictions and a deeded conservation easement to protect the integrity of the site’s landscape, the historic character of the church building, and the pastoral beauty of the neighborhood.
The Dingletown Church’s leadership initiated this generous donation and was visionary in making this possible.
Greenwich Land Trust is currently discussing transferring the property to the Greenwich Tree Conservancy, a local environmental organization whose mission is to plant, preserve and protect the urban forests of Greenwich for the benefit of community health and quality of life.
The Greenwich Tree Conservancy would serve as the property’s long-term steward, ensuring the site is preserved in alignment with the preservation and conservation restrictions established by Greenwich Land Trust and Dingletown Community Church and made accessible to the Greenwich community in a thoughtful and meaningful way.
Whether large or small, property development projects in Greenwich often result in tree removal. Most of these projects now include robust planting plans to replace lost trees, and native species are chosen more often than they were in years past. It is wonderful to see urban planning and development including more environmental and ecological components, but the trend of removing mature trees and replanting young ones represents a significant blind spot. The beneficial local impact of a mature tree takes decades to achieve, and no number of saplings can replace that.
A mature tree has an extensive canopy and innumerable leaves. This makes them very effective at reducing airborne pollutants in an urban area, such as particulate matter, ozone, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen monoxide. Some of these pollutants are absorbed by the tree and transformed into less harmful substances while others adhere to the leaves and bark of a tree and are washed away by rain. Research has shown that a tree with a 30-inch diameter trunk has around 100 times more leaf surface area than a 6-inch tree, allowing it to remove 10 times more air pollution. Most trees are planted in the 1.5 – 3-inch range, making them even less effective at cleaning the air.
Mature trees also help mitigate the urban heat island effect. Paved surfaces exposed to full sun can be 20-40 degrees hotter than shaded areas and have ambient air temperatures up to 9 degrees warmer. Large trees with wide canopies block sunlight and cool streets and buildings. The process of a tree drawing water from the soil and releasing it as vapor into the air provides even more evaporative cooling. Home and business owners experience much lower energy expenses in summer if they have large trees shading their property.
Shade cast by trees also preserves our local infrastructure. The sun’s ultraviolet rays degrade asphalt over time and makes roads brittle and prone to damage. Street trees prevent this damage and reduce road resurfacing costs by 15-60%, depending on the level of canopy coverage.
Another way that trees help our infrastructure is by diminishing stormwater runoff. Greenwich experienced a particularly rainy spring this year and we can expect increasing weather variability in the years to come. Trees help manage stormwater by improving soil permeability and absorbing water through their roots. Mature trees are about three times more effective than young trees at reducing water runoff thanks to their extensive root systems and broad canopies that slow rainfall before it reaches the ground.
Across nearly every environmental metric, mature trees deliver significantly more benefits than their younger counterparts, which take decades to reach the same size and impact. The removal of mature trees needs to be recognized as a generational loss to a community and avoided whenever possible for that reason. These trees represent the investment of many decades of patience and care which can only be replaced by an equal amount of time and attention. It may be easier to remove large trees during construction and plant new ones afterward, but with careful planning trees can often be preserved, even next to active building sites!
To protect the health of our community, reduce energy costs, and maintain a resilient environment, it is essential that we prioritize the preservation of mature trees in our urban landscapes.
Kate Dzikiewicz
Executive Director, Greenwich Tree Conservancy
The Greenwich Tree Conservancy Board of Directors is thrilled to announce the election of John R. Conte, RLA, ASLA, as the new president of the Board of Directors. With over 40 years of experience in arboriculture, landscape architecture and construction, Conte brings a wealth of expertise to the GTC and a deep commitment to preserving and enhancing Greenwich’s natural beauty.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Conte has been highly involved in the Greenwich community for many years. He has previously served on the boards of the Greenwich Land Trust, Greenwich Audubon, and Family Centers Inc, and has extensive leadership experience as president of the board of the Round Hill Association and Greenwich Green & Clean.
“GREENWICH, CT — At long last, Greenwich will plant 100 trees along the Post Road corridor from Port Chester, N.Y., to Stamford in an effort to create a tree-lined gateway into New England.
An inaugural planting event will take place at 11:30 a.m. at 600 East Putnam Ave. in Cos Cob on Nov. 1. Up to 90 of the approved trees will go in the ground, and the remaining trees will be planted in the spring.
“This effort was one of the things I pledged to work on back in 2019 and found very willing partners in Planning & Zoning, DPW, the Tree Conservancy and others who led the way,” First Selectman Fred Camilo told Patch. “Having a tree-lined boulevard running through the middle of our town will be the first thing that many visitors see when they pass through Greenwich and what a beautiful sight it will be. It is something that will live beyond our lives and enrich the lives of those who come after us.”
Over 90% of American households own at least one car, and in Connecticut 77% of residents drive to work. Parking lots are ubiquitous in Greenwich but they do not have to be eyesores.
Since 2018, the Greenwich Tree Conservancy has prioritized the greening of town parking lots. This summer they have planted 14 additional trees in the William Street and Henry Street parking lots in Byram as part of their “Parking Parks” initiative.
Unshaded pavement can be up to 45° F hotter than shaded areas, significantly contributing to the heat island effect seen in urban spaces. One of the simplest yet most effective methods to combat this problem is by planting trees. The shade provided by trees helps keep parking lots and cars cooler, but they also provide many other benefits to human health and the environment.
The Greenwich Tree Conservancy has planted trees at two parking lots in town in an effort to beautify the spaces and provide shade for sunny days.
The conservancy has been “greening” parking lots around town since 2018. This summer they planted 14 new trees at lots on William Street in Central Greenwich and Henry Street in Byram.
The conservancy works with Greg Kramer, the town’s tree warden, to select the right trees for each place.
“Parking lots are challenging environments for trees and Dr. Kramer selects ornamental and shade trees that suit a neighborhood’s aesthetics and can withstand the heat, air pollution and de-icing salts they may be exposed to,” the conservancy wrote in a press release.
In addition to providing shade, the trees also reduce water runoff from paved areas and improve air quality.
By Chery Dunson and Sue Baker, Advisory Board Chairs
Sue Baker measuring a National Champion European Larch Larix decidua.
Greenwich is fortunate to have an extensive tree canopy providing a vivid and kaleidoscopic display of color and form throughout our spring, summer and fall seasons. Trees line our streets. They stand in our parks, on our school grounds, and make up our woodlands. They adorn the yards around our homes. Trees provide benefits to town residents by shielding us from heat and cold, purifying our air and water and significantly reducing stormwater flooding. They soften the noise from ever increasing traffic and the visual impact of our urban built environments. Along with all this they provide food and shelter essential to birds and other wildlife.
Among the many thousands, there are exceptional trees notable for their great size, unusual species or historic or social significance. In the 1980s, the Connecticut College Arboretum established the statewide Notable Tree program, surveying towns across Connecticut. The program identified over 100 notable trees on public and private lands in Greenwich. If you are interested in learning more about the Connecticut College Arboretum Notable Trees project you can visit – http://oak.conncoll.edu:8080/notabletrees/
Until recently, the status of many of the Greenwich listed trees was unknown. Throughout the past year, the Greenwich Tree Conservancy has located many of these trees providing an update of the town’s listing. We have determined if the trees are still alive and healthy, their current size and status, or if they had been removed.
The process is straightforward. We reach out to property owners requesting permission to access their property to verify the status of the tree. A team of three volunteers locates each tree and takes measurements to determine the diameter of its trunk, the spread of its crown, and its overall height. Each of these measurements contributes to an overall rating as established by American Forestry Association. This information is provided to the CT College Arboretum in order to update the Greenwich listing. Among our town’s Notable Trees are Oaks, Horse Chestnuts, American Sycamores, London Planetrees and Japanese Zelkovas.
To date, we have verified the status of all the notable trees on public lands. Additionally, half of the private property owners have granted us access. We would like to thank the numerous property owners who beyond granting us access have enabled these notable trees to survive and thrive over the decades!
Some verified notable trees you can look for on public lands include a Sweetgum (Liquidamber styraciflua), Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor) and Black Oak (Quercus velutina) in Bruce Park. A London Planetree (Platanus acerifolia) at the Board of Education building at 290 Greenwich Avenue. A Thread Leaf Japanese Maple (Acre palmatum‘Dissectum’ ), Monkey Puzzle Tree (Araucaria araucana), Thayer Yew (Taxus media ‘Thayerae’) and Sargent’s Weeping Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis ‘Sargentii’) in the Montgomery Pinetum in Cos Cob. An American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) at North Mianus School and a Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) on Sound Beach Avenue in Old Greenwich.
This is an ongoing project for the Tree Conservancy and we are now turning our attention to adding new trees to the CT College Notable Tree listing for Greenwich. If you have a tree on your property that you believe may be notable for its size, species or historic significance, or if you delayed responding to our letter, you may contact us at: arboretum@greenwichtreeconservancy.com.
Last Thursday Greenwich’s superintendent of Parks & Trees/Tree Warden, Dr. Greg Kramer held a zoom public hearing about a mature Honey Locust tree at 125 Greenwich Ave requested by the owner of Shreve Crump & Low to be cut down because its roots were impacting the sidewalk.
The tree, “Gleditsia Triacanthos” has a DBH (diameter at breast height) of 26 inches.
The tree is in front of Shreve Crump & Low.
First Selectman Fred Camillo testified that the issue with the sidewalk was a trip hazard and urged the tree be replaced.
Kate Dzikiewicz, director of the Greenwich Tree Conservancy, and the former director JoAnn Messina, as well as board chair Peter Malkin all spoke in favor of sparing the tree and figuring out a workaround.
Ms Messina the new Belgian block lined tree wells in the sidewalks all along Greenwich Avenue were a trip hazard.
Ms Dzikiewicz said the Tree Conservancy could assist with expenses of analyzing the tree roots and possibly installing ramps.
Several town residents also urged the tree warden to spare the tree.
[Story continues – read the full article at https://greenwichfreepress.com/news/government/town-tree-warden-rules-sympathetically-to-decades-old-honey-locust-on-greenwich-ave-220399/ ]
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Conte has been highly involved in the Greenwich community for many years. He has previously served on the boards of the Greenwich Land Trust, Greenwich Audubon, and Family Centers Inc, and has extensive leadership experience as president of the board of the Round Hill Association and Greenwich Green & Clean.
From the Greenwich Time:
