On the sunny afternoon of Wednesday, May 15, a River Birch was planted in Clarence Brett Park by the Shade Tree Advisory Board as part of its annual Trees of Love program. In attendance were members of the Tree Advisory Committee as well as Teaneck Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin, who lauded 2019 honoree William Broughton for ensuring that trees were part of his agenda throughout his 9 ½-year term as township manager, from 2009 to 2018.

In reading the proclamation, Keith Kaplan, council member liaison, pointed out that in planting trees “we gladden the hearts of generations to come.” Issa Abbasi, chief financial officer of the Township of Teaneck, followed up by citing 2019 honoree William Broughton as a “lover of trees” who included trees in his budgets in keeping with the motto of “Trees Forever.’’

Broughton, a Teaneck native, now retired and a resident of Jackson, New Jersey, worked as a police officer and served as Teaneck police captain. In her dedication to Broughton, Zina Barrera, member of the Shade Tree Advisory Board, touted Broughton for his “green” wisdom, grace and concern for long-term public good as he guided the Teaneck trees policy. His policies “gave feet” to the ancient Greek adage, “Societies will grow great when old men plant trees under whose shade they never sit.”

The Shade Tree Advisory Board is co-chaired by Nancy Cochrane and Anna Kurz. Members Roby Langert, Ellen Schwartz, Zina Barrera and Sandy Wolkenberg, as well as Don Daume, environmental commission liaison, and Kevin Arahill, DPW liaison, are grateful to Broughton for his “green policies” and commitment to tree populations in the township.

Included in the ceremony was a poem by Ella Wilcox, read by Teaneck resident Allen Sohn, praising the planting of trees. Anna Kurz shared a list, “Thirteen Reasons That Trees Are Good for the Community.” Finally, the River Birch was planted by the DPW. The River Birch was selected as it is the hardiest and most planted birch tree in the United States. It benefits wildlife that eat its seeds and is a valuable source of erosion control. The river birch is beautiful all year, not just in summer: in winter for its peeling bark, in spring for its light green leaves and female catkins that stand up on the ends of its branches and in autumn for its brilliant, butterfly-yellow leaves.

By Pearl Markovitz