Replace Our Trees

In recent years, the City of Middletown has been removing dead and dying trees at a much faster rate than the city has planted new trees. Due to pests such as the Emerald Ash Borer, about 300 dead ash trees currently need to be removed, according to the Urban Forestry Commission.  Only 20-30 trees will likely be planted in the current year, given the available budget. (Removing a large tree is far more expensive than planting a younger, smaller tree.) Climate change is playing a role in this process, just when trees are more urgently needed to mitigate climate change. Invasive plants and changing insect populations are additional negative factors.  (In the photo here by Peter Stelma, you can see the effect of the Emerald Ash Borer on the bare wood.)

For more information, read Middletown’s Trees Are In Danger by arborist Jane Harris, Chair of Middletown’s Urban Forestry Commission.

This is all alarming news, since trees provide many benefits to human society in general, such as general health by encouraging outdoor exercise, improved air quality, emotional well-being, beauty of the urban environment, shade to provide cooling, and crime prevention. On the largest scale, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere that leads to climate change, while producing oxygen that animals like us need to breathe.

In response to Middletown’s multi-year tree loss, the Jonah Center has formed a partnership with the Urban Forestry Commission to address and reverse the decline of our urban tree canopy.  The Replace Our Trees Campaign has a two-part goal:

1.) educate the public in support of increased tree-planting and restoration of Middletown’s urban tree canopy, and

2) mobilize the public to attend budget hearings in the spring and to increase the urban forestry budget line item by $50,000, so that the number of trees planted per year may increase from 25 to 100.  

You can support the Replace Our Trees Campaign by attending a special program on Tuesday, October 15, 7-8:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers, featuring 3 widely known and respected experts on urban forestry who will speak about the benefits of and threats to urban trees, and offer encouraging examples of successful urban forestry programs.

You can also help by signing the on-line Petition To Replace Our Trees. Signers will be contacted in the spring when supportive emails and hearing testimony is needed.