City Trees

Looking back to 2013, the Canton City Engineer was very proactive and understood the myriad bene- fits of the urban forest. He knew that in order to maintain and improve Canton's urban forest, it was time to hire an arborist. Therefore, in 2013, the City's first arborist came aboard and worked very closely with Engineering staff. From 2013-2015, the newly created Forestry Department's main focus was to remove hazardous trees within the City's rights-of-way to ensure public safety. The removal of dead and hazardous trees freed up space to plant the most appropriate trees in those sites. Planning When the City was awarded the LSR grant, I was selected to be the project manager. I knew at the time there was no tree inventory in place or assessment of the City's canopy cover. This posed the big question: "Where do I start?" Part of the requirements of the grant were to utilize i-Tree tools. In this case, the entire area within the City's corporation limits was analyzed for canopy cover. Using i-Tree Canopy and i-Tree Landscape, I was able to incorporate the canopy cover results into a GIS-based map for further analysis. Piece by piece, I overlaid data onto the map showing stream corridors, census information (for low – to moderate-income areas), and major road and trail corridors. The map was a visual representation of the areas of the City where the trees must be planted to meet grant requirements. In addition, City road rights-of-way widths and tree lawn widths were analyzed to ensure the trees were planted in accordance to City standards (a minimum of a five-foot-/1.5-m-wide tree lawn). Also taken into consideration were locations of existing sewer, water, and gas lines as well as overhead utili- ties. We wanted to ensure longevity of the trees through proper site assessment and planting. In consultation with a local nursery, the Canton City Arborist selected species of trees for planting. The selections were based on considerations including aesthetics, height and width at matu- rity, non-fruit bearing (or small persistent fruits), absence of thorns, site adaptability, hardiness zone, and tolerance of salt and other urban condi- tions. Once the list of trees was developed, each individual tree was plotted onto a map, which became the start of the City's tree inventory. Lacebark elms (Ulmus parvifolia) and hawthorns (Crataegus viridis 'Winter King') planted along Sherrick Road in Canton. # tree species 152 Cherry 120 Maple 116 Pear 83 Lilac 69 Hawthorn 58 Crabapple 50 Spruce 46 Elm 40 Ginkgo # tree species 30 Hornbeam 24 Locust 21 Willow 17 Serviceberry 14 Linden 12 Sycamore 4 Birch 3 Oak Tree species breakdown from Canton's first inventory. 28 CityTREES

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