Marcellus, NY -- The village of Marcellus is home to what is believed to be the largest black maple tree in New York state. It stands 95 feet tall, is 131 inches around and has been growing between the sidewalk and the road in front of 2 Reed St. for about 175 years. But village fathers want to tear...
View full sizeThe village of Marcellus is threatening to cut down this black maple tree on Reed Street, believed to be the largest of its kind in the state. Marcellus, NY -- The village of Marcellus is home to what is believed to be the largest black maple tree in New York state. It stands 95 feet tall, is 131 inches around and has been growing between the sidewalk and the road in front of 2 Reed St. for about 175 years.
But village fathers want to tear it down. The old-timer is in the way of a street improvement project that involves reconstructing the actual street, laying new sidewalks (from 4 to 5 feet wide), improving drainage and putting down new gas lines.
“We need to address the drainage problem at the lower end of Reed Street (where the tree stands),” Mayor John Curtin said in a letter to residents. “A better drainage system means the reconstruction of the road. The problem will remain unless this is done. That, unfortunately, means that the black maple tree might have to be removed since it lies in the path of the road.”
However, the mayor said, the tree’s future still remains a question. “We’re discussing it,” he explained. “The village board will review all options.”
The owners of the 108-year old home at 2 Reed St. are fighting the tree’s removal. Debbie and Tim Golick, who’ve lived there since 1995, want the village to preserve the tree and instruct the project engineer “to amend construction plans on Reed Street consistent with recommendations provided by a certified arborist in order to preclude harm to this tree.”
The certified arborist is Dan Deyle of Michael Grimm Services, who says the maple is in good health and should be preserved. “If you want to save the tree, plan around it,” he said Thursday.
The tree has been nominated for New York State’s large tree search of 2010. John Graham, with the Department of Environmental Conservation in Cortland, came to Marcellus and checked out the maple. He told the Golicks “your tree is larger than the current champion black maple, so I would presume that it is the new state champion.” The current black maple champion is in Livingston County.
However, he cautioned that being a state champion does not give the tree any protection status.
The Golicks walked around Marcellus and collected 117 names on a petition pleading with village trustees to spare the tree. The petition was presented to the village board in June, which is headed by the mayor.
The homeowners were told of the village’s plans to rework the street in front of their house in November. Previously, work was done on a nearby street, First Street. Deyle, the arborist, had given the village a list of trees he recommended be saved; “they took them all down,” he said.
Curtin said he’d asked a representative of Barton and Loguidice Engineers to meet with the Golicks to explain the options.
“The (village) board will once again review all the options, take all opinions into account and discuss all of the consequences before reaching a conclusion,” Curtin said. “The board regrets that its decision may not be to everyone’s satisfaction, but it will be made with the interest of the entire community in mind.”
“I’m not a tree-hugger,” Debbie Golick said, “but this is such a special tree.”