Coe Memorial Park tree to be removed

TORRINGTON — The Coe Memorial Park Committee monitors and manages all of the landscaping and infrastructure of the five-acre park. At its most recent meeting, the CMPC, assessed the damaging impact of storm Isaias on some of the trees and reviewed the current conditions of other trees in the park.

“Some of the losses due to storm damage or resulting from disease or age include an American Linden, a Norway Maple, Ash and Sophora. However, the most noted and urgent concern expressed by all of the members of the CMPC is the chronic diseased condition of the iconic Copper Beech Tree located at the apex of the park,” members said in a statement. “Over the past four or five years, the CMPC has dedicated funding to care for and to nurse this ailing tree to health. Unfortunately, the progress of the disease could not be stopped and the current condition of the tree presents a safety concern in the park. At this point in time, the very difficult decision to remove the tree from the park has to be made.

“The CMPC all expressed regret that the massive tree that provides shade and shelter must be removed,” according to the statement. “Discussion of potentially memorializing the tree through the reuse of some of the lumber was held. All agreed that if there was some artistic reuse of the wood that could be realized, they would like to make that happen.”

The decision on a replacement of the Copper Beech tree and the other trees that were lost over the past year was tabled pending recommendations from park arborist, Mike Zaharek, of Zaharek’s Tree Service LLC, according to a statement.

Mark McEachern, who led the committee meeting, said, “The loss of such a significant element in the Coe Memorial Park gardens is disappointing, particularly when it’s presence provided such magnificence and was directly connected to some of the earliest landscape work in the park.”