Insider News Center: From Bronxville Insider: Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin: Weekly Mayor's Column.

 

MAYOR’S COLUMN: MAY 9, 2022.

 

As is custom, when the Trustees and I are discussing new initiatives that will have a direct impact on residents, it is incumbent upon us to give you a preview of the conversations that have begun. 
 
In this case, it’s about joining many of our sister communities in enacting a tree ordinance.  We are conducting extensive research as individual trustees, with tremendous help from members of the Green Committee, in order to learn best practices and frankly learn in some cases, what not to do.  We will be relying heavily on the Green Committee and the Bronxville Historical Conservancy who both treasure trees from both a climate and historical perspective. 
 
At the outset, it is important to start a collective village conversation in the hopes that we all join together to make a thoughtful community based decision about what are really shared assets – our one square mile inventory of trees.   
 
At the outset, it is helpful to think about viewing trees on our property as not ours alone, rather, that we are mere custodians of an aggregate landscape for all generations to come. 
 
The impetus at this time for considering an ordinance is the fact that we continue to lose our tree canopy at a much too rapid rate to storms and some choices made by private property owners.  In the past five to seven years, we have lost upwards of 50 municipal trees due to all the unprecedented storm and wind events.  We are sadly confident that the number is equally similar on private property.

Like any other village laws, anything we enact will be a balancing act between the rights and desires of private property owners and the needs and benefits to the greater community.  I know we can all agree on the importance of our tree stock, understanding all they do for our environment. 
 
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