Tree #163
“A Death Sentence for Killer Trees”
This is Tree #163.
The DEP Bull’s Island consultant’s report describes it as an “amazing tree” – a Sycamore “over mature” but in “good health”. Over 145 feet tall. Based on the health of the tree, its risk of falling, and then hitting something to cause damage, the consultant recommended that it NOT be cut.
DEP plans to clearcut it anyway:
- Based on the consultant report and a technical review by DEP forestry experts, we are proceeding with removing all vegetative material in the upper river section of Bull’s Island
- Once the area is cleared, the Department will proceed with replanting the area with appropriate floodplain vegetation that matures at smaller heights and does not pose a public safety risk.
- Field foresters from the northern region have made a preliminary visit to the site to assess the value of the wood and the site conditions. They are actively identifying all merchantable trees in the upper river campsite area and creating an inventory in preparation of the bid.
~~~ memorandum from DEP Assistant Commissioner Natural and Historic Resoruces Amy Cradic to DEP Commissioner Bob Martin: February 8, 2012
I did a field investigation at Bull’s Island this morning with Emile DeVito (PhD) of NJ Conservation Foundation. We looked at each tree assessed and came up with some serious questions, both about the methodology and findings of that Report and DEP’s plans to clearcut the Island based on that report.
Emile documented numerous rare birds in those trees.
Too disgusted to write right now – but Much More to follow, I can assure you: (I am 5’10” and my waist has blown up to almost 35″ – so that should give you some indication of the girth):
Tree #163 – Bull’s Island State Park (5/7/12)
Damn this is pure Hog Wash DEP should be ashamed of its self…..
I am so disgusted by this!! I have camped numerous times at Bulls Island and love that it is this forested little island inthe Delaware. Taking down all the trees to replace them with small ones is despicable, but the writing is in the DEP’s response: there’s $$ to be made in those trees! Maybe they should be a 7-11 or walmart on the island too. What they reaaly SHOULD do is close down the camping on the north end of the island (the walk-in spots) and let nature live and breathe there. Just disgusted!!!
Mr. Wolfe – Please let us know the most important people to contact in the matter of the Bulls Island trees. It sounds like a done deal. Any way of stopping it? or at least determining what the best course of action is? Thank you.
http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/313494
The above was based on a second opinion i gave about a tree.
Do you recall the story about the 5 blind men who tried to identify the elephant by touching different parts? Well,
Q: How is a young arborist assessing a hollow tree based on drilling its trunk like an old blind man assessing an elephant based on touching its trunk?
A: No difference really one calls it a snake, and the other calls it a removal, but they both call it wrong.
Any tree owner or managing agency that gets a Tree Structure Evaluation based on drilling and little else may want to get a second opinion