How the removal of overgrowth revived a middle-school courtyard
“I thought we were supposed to save the trees, not cut ‘em all down.”
A young man said this to me recently as my team worked on a tree-removal project. Although I couldn’t answer him then, I still felt a need to explain why it was necessary to remove a significant amount of overgrowth from his school’s courtyard. I thank him for his curiosity, which inspired this article.
West Milford Township is home to the Highlands and sits in the heart of Passaic County, N.J. It’s a suburban setting where fishing, hunting, and apple picking dominate fall festivities. Macopin Middle School serves 677 children in grades 6 through 8 and has a long history, serving as West Milford High School until 1976.