Elm tree felled on Earth Day, ending debate over its future

By THANE GRAUEL

A tree in front of the firehouse thought to be an American elm — the vast majority of which were wiped out beginning about a century ago by Dutch elm disease — was unceremoniously cut down Tuesday.

Pound Ridge Fire District officials have said the tree had to go to make way for an upcoming $11 million firehouse upgrade and expansion. The tree’s fate had been discussed as the project wended its way through the town’s approval process, but no protection was put in place.

The tree, with a classic fluted canopy, was just a few feet from the town’s main thoroughfare in Scotts Corners, Westchester Avenue. Few people might have known how rare it might have been — an estimated 100 million elms were killed by the fungus over the last century — and evidently even fewer worried about its future.

Ellen Kearns was one of the people concerned. She advocated finding a way to save the tree, and floated an alternative firehouse plan that would have moved the facility across the road. She said that would give the fire department more space on more level terrain, while sparing the tree.

Kearns tried to discuss her plan at an April 6 information session about the firehouse plan, but said her comments were not well received. 

“At the Sunday, April 6, public hearing Commissioner (Peter) Gallagher mentioned my name early on and said my idea would not work without saying what the idea was,” Kearns wrote in a Letter to the Editor published in the April 18 issue of The Recorder. . “When two ladies in the front interrupted, I raised my hand to speak and when recognized stood to quickly introduce myself and explain the idea. I was cut off by Commissioner Gallagher and shut down before I could explain much at all. The two ladies yelled at me that it would cost $20-$25 million, and a fellow commuter told me to shut up.”

With the felling of the tree came the end of any debate.

“They took it down on Earth Day,” Kearns said Thursday.

She noted that just a short distance away is a signpost with two signs reading “Firehouse Ahead” and “Tree City USA,” a designation from the Arbor Day Foundation. 

Fire District Commission Chairman Peter Gallagher did not return calls for comment.

Kearns said someone had suggested gathering seeds from the tree later in the season to plant elsewhere.

“They’ve cut it down, so that’s not going to happen,” she said. Likewise for having an arborist verify whether it was indeed an elm.

American elms were the preferred trees planted by towns throughout much of the U.S. to line main roads and town greens. Their fluted canopies would connect over roadways creating a majestic cathedral effect. These days, that can only be seen in old films, antique postcards and other vintage media.

Kearns wasn’t pleased with the process.

“One of the things that seems to not be working in this town is ... I would have thought a public hearing means the public comes and has some time to give input, and the input is considered and possibly plans are changed based on what people have said,” Kearns said. “But in this town, whether it’s the fire commission or whoever, sometimes it seems like there isn’t even a public hearing but if there is one, what it is is a presentation of a final plan and you as a citizen are allowed to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and you have no other way to input anything.”

The firehouse project includes a two-bay addition on the front of the existing building and upgrades to the infrastructure and site work to improve parking. It also includes replacement of the HVAC system, water treatment, a generator and the information technology network, as well as vehicle exhaust management and fuel/heating oil storage.