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Augie Pampel Speaks for the Trees

Anyone who knows Dr. Seuss recalls the mantra of one of his most famous characters, the Lorax, who explained throughout the book of the same name, “I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees.”

Augie Pampel is not a fictional character, but he, too speaks for the trees. For some 25 years, Pampel has been the tree warden in Essex, but despite his long service, he still regularly gets questions on what the tree warden does.

The tree warden, in conjunction with the Essex Tree Committee, is responsible for having trees planted on town property in Essex and for pruning and removing trees that have died or are in such perilous condition that they present a continuing danger of falling.

The tree warden’s responsibilities do not involve state property or private property, but only municipal property. In some cases, Pampel has to work with the Zoning Department’s Joseph Budrow to determine whether trees are on town or private land.

The Essex Tree Committee, formed in 1990, has five members in addition to Pampel, who serves as chairman.

Last year, Pampel said, there were 14 new trees planted in Essex. The town has a budget of approximately $7,000 for new trees. Every tree costs about $700. In addition to the town, a number of local organizations donate money for the planting of a tree, among them the Essex Garden Club and the local Rotary Club. In addition, private citizens have donated funds to plant a tree, often in someone’s memory. There is a list on the ground floor of Town Hall of all people and groups who have donated trees over the years.

Pampel tries to have trees planted in locations where trees have had to be taken down. The company from which Pampel purchases the trees plants them and waters and cares for each one for an entire year before turning care over to the town.

Pampel identified red oak, Princeton elm and Valley Forge elm as good, all-purpose trees for planting along streets. Dutch elm disease, he added, destroyed American elms, but the Princeton and Valley Forge are two of the new varieties of elm developed to resist the disease. Pampel also said he likes maple trees—not sugar maples, but a variety known as October Glory, a fast-growing red maple. For planting in parks or in areas with sufficiently large grounds, Pampel identified stewartia and redbuds as trees he liked to put in.

Pampel listed criteria he considers before he purchases a tree.

“You want to look at the tree; you want good structure—what type of branching, not crossed branches and a good shape,” he said.

Even a good tree, he emphasized, has to be planted correctly. The most common mistake home owners make is digging too large a hole and planting the tree too deeply.

“Digging the right size hole is crucial,’ he said. “It should be 1 ½ times the soil of the root ball,” he said, adding when situated at the right depth, the newly planted tree should rise a little bit above the top of the hole. He advised that the soil around the new planting should not be tamped down firmly.

For years it was common, Pampel noted, not to remove the wire basket around the root ball with which a tree came from a nursery when it was planted. Pampel said this actually makes it more difficult for a transplanted tree to root successfully. He advised used wire cutters to take off the top third of the basket without disturbing the root ball.

According to Pampel, ensuring proper drainage and making sure the soil is right for the desired tree also make planting more successful. He said that would-be tree planters can send a soil sample to the Connecticut State Agricultural Extension Station in New Haven for them to assess the properties of a particular piece of soil.

“And it’s free,” Pampel said.

Every town in Connecticut must have a tree warden, either a certified tree warden like Pampel, who has completed the course work necessary for proper documentation, or a licensed arborist. For Pampel, a retired telephone company manager, the position continues a lifelong interest in the natural world.

“I’ve always loved trees,” he said.

For soil testing, contact Gregory Bugbee at the New Haven Soil Testing Laboratory Slate Laboratory at 203-974-8521 or The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street (P.O. Box 1106) New Haven, CT 06504.

To donate a tree, contact Augie Pampel at augiepampel@att.net.