Despite his reservations about the appropriateness of a Norway maple that’s breaking apart in front of Town Hall, the tree warden reluctantly is allowing the large tree to remain after a resident complained about its being tagged for removal. Tree Warden Bruce Pauley had intended to plant a pair of matching, six-inch caliber sugar maples on either side of the walkway up in front of Town Hall—the “quintessential New England tree,” he said. “I would have spaced them out so they have plenty of room to grow, without interfering with anything,” Pauley, a fourth-generation New Canaanite, told NewCanaanite.com. “They have a fantastic color in the fall, they are strong and vibrant and I would want them out there.”
Yet town resident Andrea Sandor, on seeing that the Norway maple had been tagged for removal, objected strenuously to Pauley and other officials. In emails, Sandor called the Norway maple “an important” and “legacy tree” that “provides an anchor for the rural nature of the town.”
The tree is highly visible, Sandor said in her emails, offers shade and “is in a great location to be nurtured.” Sandor said the Norway maple has been poorly pruned and objected to the tree’s being tagged for removal while construction fencing had obstructed her view of the tag and, consequently, her ability to call for a hearing on it.
