On August 4, 2020, strong winds from Tropical Storm Isaias uprooted trees at Maxwell Park. A certified arborist completed an onsite review of all trees within the park to identify and evaluate tree damage resulting from the tropical storm.
The arborist noted that nearly all the 7”-8” diameter London planes trees that formed an allée in the eastern portion of the park uprooted or partially uprooted as a result of the tropical storm’s strong winds. The only trees that did not uproot were a single, small recent replacement tree at the eastern end of the allée, and a few in more protected locations at the western end of the allée. Two of the trees that had been removed with only the stumps left remaining were dead or nearly dead.
The fact that trees in the allée were fully exposed to the full force of winds at the river’s edge was a key factor in their damage, but further engineering investigation showed that the subsoil conditions also contributed to the loss of trees. During stump removal, the arborist found approximately 8-inches of quality topsoil on top of a very poor quality and highly compacted subsoil. This subsoil has significant amounts of gravel, rubble, and clay, and was compacted to a degree similar to deteriorating concrete, resulting in poor internal drainage and aeration. Live and healthy roots from the London plane trees were strictly limited to the shallow topsoil layer where there was sufficient aeration for them to survive and function. No living roots were found in the compacted subsoil. Portions of the original root balls that were planted in the subsoil (i.e. below 8”-12” deep) were dead and decayed due to the lack of sufficient drainage and aeration.
Irrigation required to maintain the high-quality lawn area likely exacerbated the tree root health issue by maintaining constantly wet and anaerobic conditions in the slow draining subsoil. As a result, the shallow, “pancake” structure of the living root systems in the topsoil layer was sufficient to keep the trees alive but provided insufficient anchorage to keep the trees standing during high wind loads.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection records show that the peninsula was originally constructed over historic fill material and an existing engineering control (i.e., "cap") is present at 24" depth throughout the site, covered by the poor quality subsoil.
These site conditions make it unlikely that large trees like the London Plane trees that were on the peninsula would be able to survive if planted again.
As a result, the Maxwell Park Board, in consultation with their certified arborist, engineer, the City of Hoboken, and members of the Shade Tree Commission, determined that the best course of action would be to consider other design alternatives to enhance the landscape.
On August 4, 2020, strong winds from Tropical Storm Isaias uprooted trees at Maxwell Park. A certified arborist completed an onsite review of all trees within the park to identify and evaluate tree damage resulting from the tropical storm.
The arborist noted that nearly all the 7”-8” diameter London planes trees that formed an allée in the eastern portion of the park uprooted or partially uprooted as a result of the tropical storm’s strong winds. The only trees that did not uproot were a single, small recent replacement tree at the eastern end of the allée, and a few in more protected locations at the western end of the allée. Two of the trees that had been removed with only the stumps left remaining were dead or nearly dead.
The fact that trees in the allée were fully exposed to the full force of winds at the river’s edge was a key factor in their damage, but further engineering investigation showed that the subsoil conditions also contributed to the loss of trees. During stump removal, the arborist found approximately 8-inches of quality topsoil on top of a very poor quality and highly compacted subsoil. This subsoil has significant amounts of gravel, rubble, and clay, and was compacted to a degree similar to deteriorating concrete, resulting in poor internal drainage and aeration. Live and healthy roots from the London plane trees were strictly limited to the shallow topsoil layer where there was sufficient aeration for them to survive and function. No living roots were found in the compacted subsoil. Portions of the original root balls that were planted in the subsoil (i.e. below 8”-12” deep) were dead and decayed due to the lack of sufficient drainage and aeration.
Irrigation required to maintain the high-quality lawn area likely exacerbated the tree root health issue by maintaining constantly wet and anaerobic conditions in the slow draining subsoil. As a result, the shallow, “pancake” structure of the living root systems in the topsoil layer was sufficient to keep the trees alive but provided insufficient anchorage to keep the trees standing during high wind loads.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection records show that the peninsula was originally constructed over historic fill material and an existing engineering control (i.e., "cap") is present at 24" depth throughout the site, covered by the poor quality subsoil.
These site conditions make it unlikely that large trees like the London Plane trees that were on the peninsula would be able to survive if planted again.
As a result, the Maxwell Park Board, in consultation with their certified arborist, engineer, the City of Hoboken, and members of the Shade Tree Commission, determined that the best course of action would be to consider other design alternatives to enhance the landscape.
The Maxwell Park Board has retained Boswell Engineering to investigate various alternatives to enhance the landscape given the site constraints outlined above. The City of Hoboken hosted a virtual public meeting on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 6:00 PM to review draft plans for landscape improvements, shown below.
The Maxwell Park Board considered all public comments submitted during and after the public meeting with Boswell Engineering. The Final Landscape Design addresses several comments from the public and Shade Tree Commission as follows:
The final plans propose 26 new trees, includingnine (9) matching trees, two (2) River Birch trees, 12 Eastern Redbud trees,and three (3) Rutban Dogwood trees.
