Mountain Lakes is known for its graceful and bucolic charm, due in large part to its many beautiful mature shade trees. They line our streets, shade our parks and homes, and generally enhance the environmental character of this town.
That the pure air shall still be untainted by factory fumes, the serene blue of your sky undimmed by palls of smoke.
That the water from your artesian wells shall be crystal, as clear, and as wholesome as that which we enjoy.
That the scanty forest derelicts of our day shall have given place to stately shade trees umbrageous and beautiful.
That your vegetable gardens shall be prolific, your orchard boughs bend beneath the burden of abundant fruitage, your flower gardens old-fashioned and alluring, your emerald lawns like your lives, all velvet.
That the Mountain Lake and the Wildwood Lake which you shall call yours shall be as lovely to your eyes as today they are to ours.
That in all her aspects and through all her changing phases of the year,
in the vernal green of spring
the full tide of summer
the glory of the painted hills of autumn
and the witchery of winter ice storms,
Mountain Lakes in the maturity of her charms shall give to you the pleasure and the joy she has given us in her youth.”
Many of our existing shade trees were planted in the early part of the century, with a forward vision of how they would grace and enhance our homes and streets today.
Did You Know…?
- A single healthy mature tree converts 26 pounds of carbon dioxide into oxygen every year
- One sugar maple along a roadway removes in one growing season:
- mg cadmium, 140 mg chromium, 820 mg nickel, and 5200 mg lead from the environment
- Trees decrease our energy costs. In winter they buffer buildings from winter winds. They can decrease winter heating costs by up to 22%. In summer they are solar powered air conditioners. They absorb sunlight for photosynthesis, provide shade and lower the ambient temperature through evapo-transpiration in their leaves. They can slash air conditioning demand by up to 50%.
- Realtors report that mature shade trees increase the value of a home. It has been estimated that there is a 4% higher sale value with 5 trees in the front yard – $257 per pine, $333 per hardwood, $ 336 per large tree, $0 per small tree.
- Trees reduce noise pollution by absorbing sounds and providing “white noise”, the sound of leaves and branches in the wind. Without our trees we would be listening to the highway noise that surrounds our area.
- Trees provide food and shelter for birds and other wildlife, increasing the biological diversity of our suburban ecosystem.
Unfortunately, many of our trees are quite old now, and are being lost naturally and through residential construction at an alarming rate. The town has inventoried all town owned trees that line our streets and the shade tree commission is engaged in a replacement program of those trees that have been and will be lost. But these are just a small fraction of the shade trees in our town. If we are to preserve for our future generations our tree canopy that is so much a defining quality of Mountain Lakes, we must all be mindful of the trees on our properties. If trees have been or will be removed from your property, consider replacing them with trees that will add to your canopy in the future. If you are planning construction, the trees that you want to remain need to be carefully protected. If you have questions about how to do this, please contact the Shade Tree Commission. Help us to keep the tranquil, environmental character of Mountain Lakes intact for future generations to enjoy.
From the Home and School Bulletin
