Tree warden retires after 50 years of service
TRUMBULL — Warren Jacques, 83, once knew Trumbull so well that his sons would quiz him on the town’s map every now and then.
That knowledge came in handy when driving around as the town’s tree warden. But now, after devoting 50 years to taking care of the trees in town, he said the time has come to retire.
“I have serviced the people of Trumbull for 50 years as tree warden and I loved it,” Jacques said this week.
Although he said the decision to retire was not his own, he knew the time was coming. Still, he said he would have preferred to stay on the job a little while longer.
“I’m 83-years-old and I knew at some point I knew I’d need to retire,” he said.
First Selectman Vicki Tesoro in a statement said she wanted to recognize Jacques’ years of service to the community.
“With the goal of continuing to support the thriving tree landscape of the town, I have appointed a new Tree Warden,” she said. “Trumbull will continue to be a place where we respect our treescape and appreciate how trees make our community a great place to live.”
According to the town charter, any person holding a paid town position appointed without a fixed term serves as the pleasure of the appointing authority and may be removed on 10 days notice.
Jacques said he is most proud of his longevity and the safety of the town’s trees.
“I am very proud of my record. During my tenure of 50 years, we never had a tree-related fatality,” he said. “The most (serious) accident we ever had was the breaking of a few windshields of cars from broken branches.”
Jacques moved to Trumbull in 1968 with his wife, Louise, and said it was not his initial plan to become an arborist.
He said he worked in engineering for the space program with the Barnes Engineering Company that was based in Stamford,
but the program had budget cuts and people lost their jobs, including Jacques.
“The money ran out in the space program and the engineering people were laid off and looking for jobs,” he said. “I had a wife and two kids at the time and I was looking for a job, but there was nothing available in engineering. In turn, I started cutting grass.”
After he ventured out cutting grass for residents, he began hearing complaints about an invasion of gypsy moths that had wreaked havoc on the trees in the neighborhood.
“Gypsy moths came along and destroyed the leaves on the trees in the early 70s,” Jacques said. “I was cutting grass and my customers would come up to me and say, ‘Warren, you’ve got to spray these trees because these bugs are all over the place,’ but I did not have a license or equipment.”
Jacques got his license to become an arborist in 1971, and switched to tree maintenance as part of his business that two of his sons still run.
In his time as tree warden, he has served under eight administrations, starting with First Selectman James Butler, who served from 1973 to 1981.
Jacques said there were not many arborists in town at that time, and Butler’s administration had reached out to him to offer him the job.
“One day, I got a call from a town official asking if I’d be interested in being the tree warden,” he said. “I took the job and I started doing tree work around the town with my own equipment.”
And after all the years of caring for the town’s trees, one stands out as his favorite. That would be the dissectum lace leaf maple, often called a Japanese maple, in Twin Brooks Park. He added that he and former First Selectman Dave Wilson have taken care of the maple for over 25 years.
In addition to Wilson, Jacques said he has built a rapport with many other residents during his halfcentury tenure.
“I love servicing my friends,” he said.”The residents were my number one tree inspectors out there, because whenever they found a bad tree, they’d call me up to take a look at it.”
Now, Jacques said his plan is to use this free time to go sailing on his boat named “Sea Rebel,” a 1967 Custom Carolina. But mostly, he said he wants to spend time with his children and his wife of 60 years.
And although the town’s new tree warden has not yet been announced, Jacques said he has some advice for the new employee.
“Listen to the needs and requirements of the residents and adhere to the state and local regulations to ensure not only a beautiful streetscape, but a safe streetscape for all residents,” he said. “The number one requirement for the tree warden is the public safety of our residents.”