If it seems like The Star has a weird ax to grind over the local proliferation of “green giant” arborvitae, well, yes, we do. You will know the trees to which we refer, even if not by the scientific name: those quick-growing evergreens, also known by the botanical genus Thuja (or sometimes “white cedar,” although that term is incorrect) that are so frequently planted these days like rows of soldiers, especially by the builders of spec houses, as living fencing or yard screens, lest we be forced to see our neighbors.
What we object to in arborvitae isn’t just aesthetic — although, yes, we do rue the day when the open vista, cluttered with little but a low split-rail fence and a row of rambling roses or hydrangea, was the landscape ideal. And we don’t just object to arborvitae because this particular tree is really not great in case of wildfire, as its scale-like foliage contains flammable oils that burn readily.
The biggest issue with arborvitae is that it is so prevalent it is creating a monoculture that is disastrous for insects, birds, and animals. How many truckloads of arborvitae do we see parading east on the backs of landscape trucks on Montauk Highway in such a hurry as Memorial Day approaches? How many native wild oaks end up on the brush pile at the dump on Springs-Fireplace Road every week? The speed and scale with which native trees are being replaced with this harmful monoculture is catastrophic from an ecological standpoint.
We should all care about this great tree replacement that is going on right under our noses. Creeping through the woods to inspect caterpillars on tree limbs may not be your bag, but the 500 or so species of caterpillar that thrive on native oaks, for example, are not just future pollinators — transforming as they do into moths or butterflies — but are the start of the whole interconnected food chain. Without caterpillars, you have fewer birds, fewer frogs and lizards . . . you get the picture.
This is mostly being done in all innocence by homeowners and builders who don’t know better, but our local forest ecosystem is being destroyed. Period. Don’t believe it? Consult the scientists. Read “The Nature of Oaks” by Douglas Tallamy.
Will Southampton Town and East Hampton Town government ever take the tree-replacement industry seriously? It is high time for our elected representatives to take action to encourage the preservation and planting of the native species that are the lifeblood of our ecosystem here on the South Fork: most important, oak (the white, red, and black oak are the true keystone species of a healthy forest here), but also hickory, black cherry, willow, American holly, bayberry, and sassafras.
If our elected representatives do not have the backbone or foresight to challenge the tree-replacement industry, the time has come for a “Love Your Oaks” campaign or mini-forest rebellion. Anyone out there want to make oak tree T-shirts?