Autumn arrives early on the ridge above the Meadowlands, and the slope down to the lake in Braddock Park goes gold while the city across the water is still in summer clothes. EJT Tree Service LLC keeps lawns through all of it — mowing on a schedule, trimming close along walls and walks, edging the borders, and clearing leaves off the grass before the first hard rain glues them down. North Bergen lots are small and steep, which makes a clean cut a matter of patience rather than horsepower. Spring cleanup opens a yard back up; the weekly visit holds it there. Green ground in a hillside township is worth the climb.