Walking or driving underneath the tree canopy on West Third Street in Jamestown is a wonderful experience that we hope never changes.

Jamestown’s arborist did the right thing in removing five trees from West Third Street over the past couple of weeks, however.

Last October, a large tree was uprooted and fell near a home at 909 W. Third St. Portions of the home’s ceiling in the kitchen collapsed onto the floor while other parts of the ceiling buckled due to the weight of the tree on the roof. The homeowner told reporters she had been worried the tree would eventually fall.

The trees on Third Street are beautiful, but not at the expense of life and property. Dan Stone, city arborist, told The Post-Journal that the five oak trees were mostly dead wood with little left to trim. They needed to come down.

There will still be 50 trees left along Third Street, with 31 of them being red oak trees. Stone said he wants to maintain the canopy view the tall trees create, though the beautiful canopy limits the types of trees that can replace the trees the city has had to remove because the oak trees block the sunlight a younger tree needs to grow.

The first order of business is to make sure the trees on the street are safe given the number of people who drive and walk down Third Street on a daily basis. Then, Stone will find a way to preserve that beautiful canopy that we all love so much.

Those who want to help, by the way, can consider making a tax-deductible donation toward the city’s urban forestry fund through the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation by sending a check to the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, 418 Spring St., Jamestown, NY 14701. For more information, visit crcfonline.org or jamestownny.net.