Business Losses

• Caring for trees and planting trees takes extensive planning and collaboration. As a result, making tree decisions takes an extensive amount of time, which the Township Committee doesn't have the time for.
  
• Trees improve neighborhood appeal, attracting businesses and shoppers.  Without a Commission to make community forestry decisions, inadequate tree care will be inevitable.  In addition, programs to plant trees will be jeopardized. Therefore, with trees dying and no new trees being planted, the Township will lose businesses and see the disappearance of shoppers.
  
• Inadequate tree care will result in an increase in power outages due to tree failures. Power outages not only inconvenience the homeowner, but they also shut down businesses resulting in a financial loss. If the power outage is of long-duration, the financial loss can be quite serious. The majority of Southampton's business corridor experienced minimal to no power loss  during Hurricane Irene, Superstorm Sandy, and the bow-echo storm due to a proactive, tree maintenance program. A lot of the trees in poor shape with defects that were considered hazardous were removed prior to these storms. This made our town resilient. In neighboring towns, it was a different story and business owners were turning in claims to their insurance company. For many of these businesses, they are now facing the prospect of an increase in their insurance rate. Power surges due to fallen trees can also create serious damage to workplace computer systems and technology.