By Mary Marvin, Mayor of Bronxville

Aug. 7, 2024:

Chinese Proverb   

 “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

Nothing is more beneficial to a community than its tree stock.

-The benefits of trees are so multifaceted: aesthetic appeal, cooling properties, improvement of air quality, reduction of energy use and atmospheric carbon dioxide, habitat for wildlife, reduction in soil erosion and excess runoff, water absorption, barrier to noise, a natural screener, food source and a source of lumber and pulp. They mask concrete walls, driveways, parking lots and unattractive views while absorbing dust and reducing glare.

-Trees also absorb odors and polluting gases and filter dirty particles out of the air, and the shade from trees slows water evaporation from thirsty lawns and parks.

-Of great importance is the role they play on school property and playgrounds as trees reduce UV exposure by 50% providing protection to children playing outdoors.

-As an efficient carbon dioxide absorber and oxygen provider, a single acre of trees can produce enough oxygen for 18 people for an entire year and absorb the same amount of CO2 produced by 26,000 automobile miles. Conversely, taking down one canopy tree removes the daily oxygen supply for four people.

-Just three trees strategically placed around a single-family home can cut summer air-conditioning needs by 50%, as the net cooling effect of just one young healthy tree is equivalent to 10 room size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day.

-Trees placed in commercial areas can lower temperatures in a parking lot and break up the blacktop “heat islands.”

-Trees on private property also produce great monetary benefit. Studies have demonstrated that 10 to 23% of the value of a residence is based on its tree stock.

-Recent studies have shown that being around trees can have a calming effect, relaxing brain waves, and reducing heart rates while offering our eyes visions of beauty.

-Also intangible, but so important nonetheless, is the value of trees in marking the seasons, calming a stark landscape, acting as neighborhood landmarks and points of identity. They also serve as symbolic links to the past when other connections have long since disappeared. One cannot help but notice the enormous value our forbearers placed on our tree canopy just by the names of so many of our streets – Red Oak, Elm Rock, Chestnut, Sycamore and Pine just to name a few.

“The one who plants trees knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.”   Rabindranath Tagore

In terms of our Village streetscape, the exquisite abundance of trees truly defines us and is a natural resource we must protect for generations to come. It truly is our defining characteristic as we don’t live near beautiful water bodies, majestic mountains or clean, clear lakes.

Marilynn Wood Hill wrote so eloquently in the introduction to the Historical Conservancy’s publication, Defining the Landscapes of Bronxville, 

“It is the close interrelationship of natural and manmade environments that has given identity to the special place of Bronxville and we need to exercise a greater stewardship in preserving the whole so that what we leave for future generations will not only be a place to live, but also a place to love.”

Causing great concern has been the increased frequency of storms, flooding events and home additions that have diminished our tree stock.

The Village must lead by example and make sure our trees are healthy, trimmed and fertilized as well as ordered in a timely fashion for fall planting.

The Village was originally native woodland and houses were built under a canopy of deciduous trees.

Not only have many of these trees been lost, but they have also been replaced with ornamental trees which are not native and do not restore the canopy.

It is a particular concern because of the Village’s one square mile or 640 acres, we only have a total of 70 acres of parkland.

We ask you to partner with us in preserving this most precious natural resource and take time this summer to check the health of your trees, as well as possibly order more native species for planting this fall.

In addition, if you have trees on property borders, it is so helpful to work with your neighbors to trim and fertilize the tree, as opposed to immediate removal.

“Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.”   Joyce Kilmer