WOODBINE – Approximately 100 pine trees in front of the Woodbine Developmental Center were recently trimmed back, with about 25 cut to the ground, and as far as the public is concerned there are no clear answers why.
People have been speculating on Facebook about the removal of the trees. Some cited reasons related to the trees affecting the power lines. Someone pointed out that the trees had been planted as young trees under the power line but grew up to where they were in contact with the wires.
Rumors circulated about pine beetles destroying the trees and being the reason for their removal. Some claimed the trees were diseased, but that claim was disputed by others.
Yet another person on Facebook asked if the borough was going to change its name to “Bine,” what with the elimination of so much wood in the borough. The name Woodbine is another name for Virginia creeper, a fast-growing native vine in the eastern United States.
When Woodbine Mayor Bill Pikolycky was asked about the tree cutting, he said, “The only trees the borough is aware of that have been removed or trimmed were done so by Atlantic Electric during their annual vegetation management program throughout Woodbine.”
The Herald asked Atlantic City Electric why the trees were cut to the ground. Candice Womer, senior communications specialist with the Exelon Corp., the parent company of Atlantic City Electric, said: “The township (sic) made the request to Atlantic City Electric to top the trees along DeHirsch Avenue in Woodbine because they have been the reason for several outages in the past. The township is going to do the full removal of the trees at this point.”
Womer said topping trees is the practice of removing whole tops of trees or large branches and/or trunks from the tops of trees, leaving stubs or lateral branches.
The matter of tree removal, particularly in large numbers, has been provoking reaction from the public. The Herald, in its March 13 edition, reported on public concern about the removal of trees on a 13-acre parcel to create parking for the Cape May County Park & Zoo.
Coincidentally, Woodbine is hosting the 2024 New Jersey Tree Give-Away on Saturday, April 6, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the gazebo at the corner of DeHirsh and Washington avenues. The event is run by a partnership between the New Jersey Tree Recovery Campaign and the New Jersey Forest Service that has distributed over 300,000 saplings to date.
