To the Editor:

Washington and New York have their cherry trees to mark the arrival of spring. For the more than 30 years I have been a Princeton resident, the beginning of spring was marked by the glorious flowering of the pear trees lining Witherspoon Street in the center of town. For the remainder of the spring, summer, and fall, the trees provided beautiful shade along the sidewalks.

Now, we have come to learn that their time is past, and we are told that their invasive behavior rivals their beauty, not that we have all been outside digging up little wild Bradford pear trees from our backyards. While the species is known to be brittle in severe weather, I know other members of our tree canopy have their own significant vulnerabilities, such as the elm (Dutch elm disease) and the ash (emerald ash borer). No, I think we can agree that the greatest offense of our Witherspoon pear trees is that we have decided (collectively) to remodel downtown Witherspoon Street, and the trees would not survive the reconstruction.

This, at least, we can all understand and perhaps accept. Before we consign the pears to the dustbin of history though, we should at the least recognize the beauty and function they have provided us in Princeton for many years. The pear trees were a beautiful part of spring in Princeton, and we thank the designers and planners who created the Witherspoon streetscape years ago. We collectively recognize it is time to move on, but there is no need to blame the trees in retrospect as an “invasive species.” The trees more than served their function, and now it is time to pay our respects and give our thanks.

Don Denny
Nassau Street