City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/41336
back but today has good twig and leaf growth over the entire crown. City staff, with assistance from Rainbow Treecare, continues to perform management activities such as irrigation when needed (although we're doing less and less artificial irrigation as the years go by), an application of a tree growth regulator in 2003, a couple of insecticide treatments for jumping oak gall, and an application of prescription compost in 2010. A memorial bench has been added under the GFT's crown as has an informational sign telling visitors about the history of this unique tree preservation project. —Gregg Hove, Supervisor of Forestry, City of Eagan, Minnesota crews of the 1950s relocating Canary Island date palms (Phoenix canariensis) and large yucca trees (Yucca brevi- folia) with the use of "hydrocranes." When I first started working for the City in 1997, tree relocation was not widely practiced. Since my first tree relocation project as community forester in 1997, my staff and I have overseen the relocation of over 330 trees throughout the City. The practice has become so routine that even the most vocal opponents to moving trees would rather take that option over removal. The City of Santa Monica has a long his- tory of relocating trees. Historical photos show City The City of Santa Monica's design standards now require mandatory tree preservation as part of all public improvement projects. In cases where trees are impacted by the project and cannot or should not remain in existing locations, the City considers reloca- tion as the first option. This policy on tree relocation is intended for the benefit of public projects only and does not allow the relocation of public trees to benefit a private development project. However, there are certain cases in which public trees have been relocated for a private development project because the City benefits as well. Public concerns in Santa Monica are always considered when proposing to relocate a City tree, and the public is kept informed of all tree relocations through an extensive public outreach process. In cases when trees are impacted by a public improve- ment project, there are several considerations to be made before a relocation plan can even be proposed. The tree's appraised value is compared to the cost of its relocation and establishment. If the cost to relocate exceeds its appraised value, the tree isn't relocated. Since some species will tolerate relocation better than others, the tree report also addresses the species and health of the tree and its probability of surviving reloca- tion. The tree report discusses what the impact will be on the new site and verifies that the tree will actually fit into its new location and not outgrow the site or cause infrastructure conflicts. 24 When considering the logistics of the move, a detailed check is made of underground utilities and other ele- ments of the City's infrastructure. This has a major impact on how the tree can be extracted from its cur- rent site with the proper sized rootball. Even when the site has been cleared for excavation, crews are required to hand dig potholes around the tree to make sure the area is clear of any underground lines. Santa Monica is quite urbanized, with multistoried build- ings, overhead power lines, bridges, overpasses, street lights, and other street trees. As a result, the route to the tree's new location is sometimes very convoluted. Street use permits must be obtained through the Public Works and Transportation Departments; however the fees are waived for City projects. Once the tree arrives at its new site, positioning of the crane and other equip- ment is critical because of infrastructure conflicts or impacts on traffic. Often the work has to be done at night because of the impact it will have on traffic. All tree relocation projects must have a three-year main- tenance budget. Regular irrigation and continual moni- toring by staff arborists over a three-year period ensures establishment and helps to catch any problems with the tree's health early. Successful tree relocation ensures the continuation of a tree relocation program. After all, the more trees we relocate, the better we get at it; the better we get at it, the more trees will get moved instead of removed. —Walt Warriner, Community Forest & Public Landscape Superintendent, Santa Monica, California 38 large shade trees throughout the main campus grounds. The trees were predominantly southern live oak (Quercus virginiana), ranged in size from 15 to 28 inches (38 to 71 cm) DBH, and averaged 80 years old. The weight of these trees on the crane ranged from 115,000 to 148,000 lbs (52 to 67 metric tons). During my recent tenure with the University of Texas at Austin, I was involved with relocating A little background into the campus: When the tree moving campaign first started seven years ago, the University was in the middle of 1.2-billion-dollar capital improvement process and construction was occurring at an alarming rate. Lawn areas and parking lots were replaced with buildings, and old buildings were being razed in lieu of newer, state-of-the-art facilities. It was estimated that the amount of classroom/laboratory/ office space was increased by 20 percent during a five- year span of activity. UT Austin is very much an urban campus, a veritable city of its own. There are 50,000 students, 22,000 fac- ulty and staff, and 4817 trees tucked neatly inside 435 acres. Fortunately, the trees were considered valuable assets by faculty, staff, and students alike. The campus City Trees