One tree’s removal sparks an old debate in the city

Despite pleas to save this tree at Florian and Dubois, the city decided it had to be cut down because it posed a hazard to anyone parking near it and blocked rain water drainage.

By Charles Sercombe
There is a well-known philosophical question that asks:
“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
In Hamtramck, one thing is known for sure: When a tree is about to be cut down, plenty of people hear about it.
In December a debate arose between city officials and some residents over the fate of a tree at Florian near Dubois.
The city said the 70-year-old tree had to come down because it interfered with parking and rain water drainage.
Residents and local tree lovers objected, saying the tree did not pose a hazard.
Christine Komisarz of Florian St. alerted The Review about the tree when it was initially scheduled for removal during the holidays. Because of the concern of some residents that was put on hold until the newly-hired city manager could review the situation.
After getting a chance to look at the tree, City Manager Katrina Powell said in an e-mail to Mayor Karen Majewski, which Powell shared with The Review, that the tree had to come down.
“The tree and its trunk are protruding into the street and is an impediment to the flow of water and could cause damage to a vehicle when trying to park in that area; in addition, it has overtaken the curb and portions of the street. As such, we are scheduling removal of the tree and trunk as soon as possible.”
Last Friday, a work crew cut it down.
Hamtramck Public School teacher Chris Wilinski wrote about it on the Facebook page sponsored by “Save Hamtramck’s Trees.”
“I guess the complaints from a few people about parking and branches hanging over roofs were more important over the pleas to just trim the branches,” Wilinski said.
“Never mind that the parking spot is taken every night. Sorry DPW but there are a lot of spots where you can’t fully open your passenger door if you park too close. Maybe we should just cut every tree down. Then no one will complain about leaves, blooms, parking etc. You have now forever changed the atmosphere by my home. And a beautiful living tree that took over 60 years to grow that tall is gone. Think the city will replace it???”
Powell said in her e-mail to the mayor that the city will indeed replace it.
“We will replace it with a tree either in that same location, or elsewhere in the city, as we certainly believe that trees are an asset to our community and the environment,” Powell said.
Hamtramck’s relationship with trees has been rocky at best.
Two years ago the city undertook a massive sidewalk repair program that also led to the removal of dozens of trees that were considered hazardous or the cause for cracking up sidewalks.
About two or three days into the project there was a howl of protest from some residents.
The city backed off from cutting down trees.
Now when even a single tree is slated for removal there is heightened attention.
Part of the problem stems from long ago when the city — or someone — planted trees that are simply too big for the space they occupy between the sidewalk and the curb. Eventually, many sidewalk slabs cracked and lifted up because of the trees’ massive roots.
Even before this dilemma became center stage in recent years, the city was still recovering from what was believed to be a tornado that touched down in 1997.
That storm resulted in the loss of over 500 huge trees that provided a picturesque canopy for many streets and needed shade in the summertime.
Since then there have been a number of replanting efforts throughout the city.
Mayor Karen Majewski said the city has a long way to go. She said the city has less than 6 percent tree coverage, which the mayor says is too low.
“I recognize that we have problem trees that are liabilities, but we do need to save every tree we can, and be diligent about replacing those we remove (which has not been an administrative priority in recent years, despite my pleas and those of many residents),” Majewski said.
So why all the fuss about trees?
Not only do they make our streets look better, but there are also health benefits, said Jim Skiera, Executive Director of the International Society of Arboriculture.
“Research shows that the presence of trees in a community can encourage people to be more physically active in addition to affecting their attitudes and behaviors,” said Skiera in a recent press release.
“We are just beginning to establish relationships between public health experts and urban forestry, but we know much more about the positive link between health and nature than we did 10 years ago, so there has been tremendous progress.“
At this point, there is no program in place to plant trees in the city.