Collasius Not Running for BPW
Greetings from the Tree Department. I hope February finds you well. I would like to apologize if I have caused a bit of confusion. I took out papers to run for a seat on the Board of Public Works. Before taking the papers out I queried two high level town officials who did not know if I could be both Tree Warden and have a seat on the board. I have since learned that I cannot do both. Oops, or uff da as Mom would say.
To be clear I want to continue in the role of Tree Warden, and I hope you want me to. I believe my team and I have done a lot of really good work, but there is still so much to do. I also believe that Fairhaven is a beautiful town, and that its tree canopy is a big part of that.
I know we can have the best tree canopy on the SouthCoast. We already have safer streets than any town near us in regards to high risk trees that could fall into the roadway or otherwise do damage to property. Take a ride down a road in any town around here and look for dead trees alongside the road. They are called windowmakers for a reason. I challenge you to find one in Fairhaven. If you do please let me know.
Urban tree canopies have to be managed just like a garden. If you let a garden just go its own way you get a mess that gives little benefit. If you don’t properly manage an urban tree canopy the consequences can be significantly worse as trees can weigh many tons. We unfortunately recently had to remove a beautiful old giant that was way too hollow and rotten. It weighed 32 tons. Having that fall on someone or something is not an option I can live with.
I will not be returning the papers I took out but it was a useful exercise getting them signed so easily. Thanks to all of you who did sign them and those who offered to. It was very rewarding to find out how appreciated our work has been.
I thank you for the privilege you have afforded me in taking care of our urban forest. If you have the time to help with planting, pruning, weeding, watering, or donating to the cause, please reach out to me at dcollasius@fairhaven-ma.gov or Tree Department, 40 Center St., Fairhaven, MA 02719.
Be well and be green.
Don C. Collasius, Fairhaven Tree Warden
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