Jasmine Moorehead, a member of the Wampanoag (Wopanaak) Tribe, poses next to a 100-year old, healthy oak tree in Fairhaven that is scheduled to be cut down to make way for electrical wires for an upgrade to the Millicent Library in Fairhaven. Photo courtesy of Lynne Mason.
Submitted by Lynne Mason, Fairhaven
A Plea from Two Healthy Century-Old Oak Trees near the Millicent Library
Dear folks, we are your two healthy 100-year-old oak trees that reside at 32 Union Street. We are scheduled to be executed soon. We need your help.*
Even though Fairhaven’s tree warden in their recent assessment found us healthy we are scheduled to be chopped down.
Please write the library, Select Board and treesinfairhaven@gmail.com
For over a century we have been part of the beauty of this historic jewel of a town. We have provided important shade and fresh oxygen to all and sheltered birds, animals and insects.*
We absolutely love our Millicent library. Unfortunately, our execution is part of the plan for an upgraded electrical system at the library.
The option to take a pause, raise more funds and study alternative solutions and their cost that would also save us trees has not been fully vetted. The least expensive, quickest solution is not always the best solution. Alternatives are available to preserve the esthetic, health and property values we trees provide.
The library board worked hard on this improvement project. However, letting the townspeople know the plan involved tearing us two healthy 100 year old trees down was not adequately communicated. Only a few people knew about the Library plan and Select Board vote when in the last hours a sign was finally put on our bark. We request another vote after letting the townspeople know about our impending demise.
Some volunteers have emerged after the Select Board meeting that are ready to help raise the additional funds for an alternative practical solution to the library’s electrical upgrade that doesn’t murder us.
Please contact them at treesinfairhaven@gmail.com.
Please Library Board, can you wait 3 months? 1 month? for these volunteers to try to raise funds for this project to save us? They have some great ideas.
If we don’t get a stay of execution please listen to the volunteers’ ideas for respectful use of our wood: perhaps a bench at the library, rough seats outside for story hour, plaque, auction/sell the wood to raise funds for other trees in trouble.**
Thank you to all the representatives of different religions and spiritual traditions that have come and prayed for us, especially Jasmine Moorehead, a member of the Wampanoag (Wopanaak) Tribe who was the first to ceremonially pray for us.
Fairhaven’s Devoted 100 year old Healthy Trees at 32 Union Street
*Please write on our behalf for more time. You can also include a photo with us trees to the Library Trustees, millicent@sailsInc.org and to the Select Board, https://www.fairhaven-ma.gov/ select-board. You can Select the link that sends to all the board members at once. Please also send a copy to treesinfairhaven@gmail.com. If you make items from tree wood (a sawyer) please share that.
Send us good wishes and prayers (trees can hear those).
*See the articles in Fairhaven Neighborhood News: 1/16/25, 1/23/25; and the minutes of the Select Board meetings, 1/13/25 pages 4-5 and 1/9/24 pages 1-2 on town website.
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Click here to download the 2/6/25 issue: 02-06-25 GnomeTrees
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