Right tree, right place: Branching into tree management with arborist Taylor Sapudar

Legend has it that when General Hugh Mercer was injured in battle in 1777 on the Princeton battlefield, he refused to leave his troops, instead laying in the shade of a sturdy white oak tree to await the victory. Today, we know this tree as “The Mercer Oak,” named for General Mercer like the county in which it resides.

While General Mercer died nine days after the battle, the tree lived on for many years, until it was struck by lightning in 1973 and further damaged by a windstorm in 2000. Arborists removed what was left standing, but to preserve its history, an acorn taken from the original Mercer Oak was planted next to the old stump.

The municipality is now in its 29th year as a Tree City USA, an award bestowed by the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters to honor a city’s commitment to effective forest management. This commitment is municipal arborist Taylor Sapudar’s domain. The ‘Prince’ spoke with Sapudar and his supervisor, Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton, to learn more about tree management from the primary decision-makers on all things tree in Princeton.

This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.

Daily Princetonian: What inspired you to become an arborist?

Taylor Sapudar: I was probably 7, 8, 9, years old, and I just loved climbing trees. Then as I got older, my mom was always joking about getting into the industry. You know, “You love being outside. You loved climbing trees as a young child.” When it came time to go to school, I was tossing around ideas of what to do. My local community college had a horticulture department, so I enrolled there, not really knowing where I would go. But then, after learning an introduction about plants, I transferred to Rutgers University, where I went for horticulture, plant science, and environmental planning. From there, I worked various jobs, until I got into the municipal government sector. But I’ve been in the world of municipal forestry for nearly 10 years now. It all started from being a young kid just climbing trees, building tree forts in the woods.

DP: What does your job look like now?

TS: I bounce around between multiple departments. Fortunately for us, we’re one of the few municipalities in New Jersey with not only a full time arborist, but also a full time tree crew. About 90% of the municipal trees are done with our in-house staff. A lot of my time is consumed working with our Department of Public Works, making sure our street trees are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also safe.

That being said, I often work in our engineering department. On the call right now is Deanna Stockton, our Deputy Administrator and our Municipal Engineer. I work with her quite often on these capital projects, whether it be road projects or various types of construction, [and] the development that goes on in town. On the residential side, I work with our land use engineer quite a bit, making sure that when trees come down, it makes sense that they do so. And then when we have to put trees back, [I make sure] that it’s the appropriate species being planted.

I kind of bounce all over the place, but I wouldn’t have any other way. It’s something new, something different every day, and it really keeps things exciting.

DP: What is your favorite aspect of your work and what project are you most proud of in Princeton?

TS: Growing up, my summers were spent doing landscape construction and landscape design — getting my hands dirty, if you want to put it that way. My favorite is when we can do a project where there are tangible results. We recently installed a rain garden in front of our municipal building. (A rain garden is a collection of plants, flowers, and shrubs situated on a depression in the land, designed to capture rain runoff.) A lot of time and effort went into working as a team. I was one of the decision makers on the plants to use, and then getting those plants into the ground, and ordering them. So those types of projects — where you can see it from really nothing, just the small depression of soil in the earth, and then we can install plants and soften up that area — are what I find most rewarding. When you take something that doesn’t look very good, and then after a week or two or three, or even a year, it becomes this aesthetic environment for all people to enjoy.

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DP: How do you make decisions about the location and species of trees to plant?

TS: In the world of horticulture and urban forestry, we say, “Right tree, right place,” or, “Right plant, right place.” That’s the first thing that goes into these planting projects. Is it an appropriate species for the place that we’re dealing with? So an example would be overhead power electrical lines. Often, trees might need to be removed because they’ve been aggressively pruned or [are] not doing so well. So when we put a tree back, it has to be the right tree for the right place. Installing a tree that might not get as big underneath those high voltage lines, or, for instance, in the rain garden, [planting] available perennials that tolerate wet and dry conditions. It’s all about doing your research ahead of time. It’s all about planning.

That being said, I work with a lot of different departments [and] community stakeholders who get involved with these decisions, and then I’m just there to help facilitate the project the best I can and make sure it can get done in a reasonable amount of time within budget restraints. It’s often difficult to make everyone happy. But as long as it’s a decision with some educational background and scientific background, it’s the best you can do.

(On Witherspoon Street, for example, there were pear trees for many years, which have the tendency to become brittle and drop branches. After the construction on the street was completed, Sapudar’s team planted gingkos to replace them.)

DP: How do you tackle invasive species?

TS: I’m a big advocate of species diversity. So just like our traditional forest, there’s different kinds of species all over the place. It’s not just one species of oak or maple, et cetera. The urban forest has to be treated the same way. So, the emerald ash borer, for instance. (The emerald ash borer is an invasive insect whose larvae damage ash trees’ functions regarding water and nutrients. In North America, the borer has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees.) Princeton had multiple neighborhoods that were planted with only ash trees. Once those trees were infected, they unfortunately had to be removed. We planted in a more sustainable way, planting a variety of species that would fit the area. So that’s just one way we prepare for the longevity of our urban forest.

Princeton had multiple neighborhoods that were planted with only ash trees. Once those trees were infected, they unfortunately had to be removed. We planted in a more sustainable way, planting a variety of species that would fit the area. So that’s just one way we prepare for the longevity of our urban forest.

DP: How have you been dealing with New Jersey’s recent weird weather, from droughts to floods to wildfires?

TS: When selecting our street trees in our downtown areas, [we use] trees that are going to be tolerant of drought conditions, the changing temperatures, the hotter summers that we’ve been experiencing. It all goes back to proper planning. If you don’t have a good stock or good material going in, it’s not going to last. I meet with vendors and make sure that they are capable of providing a product that we can use that’s ultimately going to thrive in the challenging districts and in challenging scenarios.

DP: There are lots of people who think of trees as part of the background, but you think about trees every day. How does tree management factor into town policy-making overall, and how do you present trees in a compelling way to others?

Deanna Stockton: In the engineering realm, that’s always something we look at. Sometimes, it becomes a trade-off, an engineering infrastructure improvement versus the trees. But trees are a high priority in Princeton, and we do whatever we possibly can to keep trees in place.

We have a very active Shade Tree Commission that is keeping an eye around town on what’s going on. Flood and Storm Water Commissions also see the value of trees because of runoff. And just neighbor to neighbor. You have a neighbor that wants to take down a tree on their property, just because they want to. Sometimes other neighbors come out because of their concerns about losing a tree in Princeton. People definitely think about trees in Princeton more than anywhere I’ve been.

DP: Have you ever had a surprising or interesting encounter while dealing with trees in town?

TS: There’s something new and surprising almost every day. With the Witherspoon project, there was a young bride-to-be trying to take engagement photos the day that the trees were coming down. Needless to say, she was not happy with me and did not have very happy words to say, because I disrupted her photo-shoot. She wanted the University in the background. My staff was cutting down the trees, and right in the middle of Witherspoon street, I had to explain to the photographer and the bride-to-be what was going on. I guess they had missed the memo, despite the amount of effort and time that we put into getting it out there to the community.

DP: Do you collaborate with the University grounds team at all?

DS: Taylor works closely with the University, with their landscaping staff. We have a fantastic working relationship with the Director of Grounds at the university, so myself and their director, their assistant director, and a couple of [the University’s] capital landscape architects have monthly meetings just to discuss what’s going on in town. We try to collaborate on various projects when we can and keep both parties in the loop.

We’ve utilized trees from the Princeton University nursery for various projects, and we’ve worked together on not just projects within the campus, but throughout the municipality. We’re really fortunate. The University has super knowledgeable and experienced staff, whether it’s on the grounds team or on the facilities team. It’s nice to have a working relationship that’s mutually beneficial to share knowledge and help each other out as we need to.

DP: Do either or both of you have a favorite tree?

TS: It’s such a tough question, because I get that all the time. And just going back to [the principle of] “right tree, right place.” It’s often [about the question]: What are we using the tree for?

But if I had to say what my favorite tree is, I’d have to say the Eastern Redbud. It’s a small ornamental tree, but it’s drought-tolerant. It does well in a lot of different sites. It’s got beautiful pink flowers right now, [and] it’s a native tree.

Or, one that I might have climbed. Then, I say the White Oak tree. Nothing is more majestic than a mature White Oak tree. We have a couple of them throughout the municipality, and when you see one, it almost stops you in your tracks. It’s another native as well, great for stormwater management and it’s just a fantastic tree. I’d have to go with those two.

DS: I’ll hearken back to my childhood on the West Coast. For me, it’d be almond trees. They provide sustaining nuts, and in the spring, they are just so gorgeous. We had 17 on our property when I was growing up. And redwoods, obviously. But on the East Coast, Magnolias and the Eastern Redbud, are some of my favorites as well.

Raphaela Gold is a head Features editor for the ‘Prince.’

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.