What trees need from us
Ok, we probably have about 200 of the 300 trees in for this fall so far. Late yesterday, I started the tree inventory using GIS tools which map the tree locations and take note of other factors like the sidewalk treatment and the presence of overhead wires and what kind of wires.
Trees need things to live just like us. Most important to them would be regular and adequate water. We can help the trees get established. They will be especially thirsty this spring as more than half of their roots are taken when they are balled and baled and moved to their forever homes. So please, water these trees as often as you can. I heard from Allentown and they are using water gators on some new trees. These are bag collars around the tree that hold and slowly release gallons of water. School kids are encouraged to carry a water bottle and empty the water bottle into the water gator. Every little bit helps.
A big way to help is the size of the tree well. Trees get water from rain, the more ground space they have that isn’t concrete, the more water they can get. The size of the tree wells we cut is limited in part by ordinance concerning width of sidewalks and partly by cost. Homeowners could go further and make a longer tree well parallel with the curb. If you were able to take out more concrete and possibly fill that with bricks, more water would be able to reach the roots. Taking all the concrete out parallel to the curb and putting a grass strip back in would also help.
Another way to help is tree trimming. We have a seminar called TreeTenders coming again in the spring. Trees are trees and not bushes. The growth should be directed up, not out at the ground to 5ft level. I carry tree trimming tools with me and have taken the TreeTenders course to know what/how to trim. Please DON’T use a ladder. If you are trimming a tree on a ladder, you need a permit from the city and maybe it’s time to call a pro at that point. But, just as we guys shave every day, we can do some basic tree grooming that trains these trees to grow up and have a nice shape. Sometimes it’s too late. There are a few trees at Goepp and Main that missed their grooming appointments and look like weak trees because of it. Ultimately, those trees will probably come down and as they stand, are not really an asset to property.
Another thing the trees need is some respect. As Rodney Dangerfield says…….I don’t get no respect. Watch the car doors, if you drive a truck, watch when you pull in/out and don’t break branches. Eventually, the tree will grow up and over where people park but in the first couple years, take some care with the vehicles. A ripped off main branch will leave a lasting scar on the tree. Imagine if you were getting a haircut and you elbowed the sytlist and he/she slipped and cut off a huge chunk of your hair. It wouldn’t be pretty would it? Same goes for trees, except they may never recover.
Let’s talk about overhead wires. While it’s unlikely anyone will be moving their electric service wires or that the main electric/cable/phone trunk lines will move, we can take a look at our phone/cable wires. Could your cable wires be rerouted to avoid being directly over the trees? Do you have cable wires attached that you aren’t using? Ask that they be removed. Do you have cable/phone wires crossing your airspace that feed the neighbors house? Demand the cable/phone company rerun those wires perpendicular to the feed over the person’s airspace that is actually using that service. What about switching to a dish and loosing the wire altogether! BUT, please mount the dish on the roof, not on the porch. Don’t get me started on that! Phones - We don’t have a home phone, just cells. There is also phone service from your cable company or cable service from your phone company. Another opportunity to loose a wire. So, next time your outside, look up at that mess of wires and see if there is something you can do to improve the streetscape. Wan’t a good example, take a look at 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue. Fifth is criss crossed with cable feeds. It’s hard to find the sky looking up through all that mess. Sixth Ave has no wires. The feeds come from the alley.
I’ll be out again today doing more tree inventory work. If you see me with the yellow Trimble GIS/GPS unit in hand, wave hi or come over and chat!