Trees in Hinds Plaza Provide Welcome Shade, And There is No Reason to Replace Them
To the Editor:
On page 1 of the October 30 issue of Town Topics is a report of a discussion by the Princeton Council of a proposal to “revitalize’” Hinds Plaza [“Council Hears Report from Consulting Firm on Revitalizing Hinds Plaza” ]. In my opinion, the plaza is a valuable, charming, and functional component of the downtown landscape just as it is, and is in no need of reconstruction.
What particularly galls me is the assertion by the consultant, Mr. Ribaudo, that the honeylocust trees in the plaza are at the end of their life span and need to be replaced.
That is nonsense. As a lifelong, Princeton-born nurseryman and New Jersey certified arborist, I know my trees. My father, William Flemer III, introduced one of the first approved honeylocust cultivars, ‘Shademaster,’ to the market in the 1950s. Many of those trees are still alive and growing in our area. There is no set lifetime for honeylocusts. They can, and do, get a lot older and larger than the ones on the plaza. Many can be seen growing healthily on New York City streets, under conditions far more adverse that we have here.
The trees on the plaza are only now big enough to provide welcome shade to the many people who enjoy gathering there. There is no reason to replace them. If that means the “revitalization” of the plaza cannot proceed, so much the better!