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: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/677172
Westerville, Ohio Quick Facts: Human Population: 37,000 Street Tree Population: 13,000 Park Tree Population: 4,500 Urban Forestry Budget: $700,000 Number of Urban Forestry Staff: 4 USA in 2016. The City is just one of 16 communi- ties in the United States to reach this milestone. What unique challenges has your urban forestry divi- sion faced? MU: The Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford') was named the city tree in the 1970s and was planted extensively throughout City streets and parks. This created extensive need for debris cleanup as the trees matured, especially after storm events. This has afforded the oppor - tunity for species diversity as replacement trees have been planted over the years. Emerald Ash Borer was also a challenge for us, as it has been for many communities in this part of the country. Thankfully, additional funding was approved to help deal with the issue, and overall, normal services continued uninterrupted. How do you evaluate your street trees and maximize their performance? MU: We routinely evaluate trees for risk to help mitigate potential problems and create a stronger tree population. We check the health of the trees and determine if we can improve the tree's condition or whether removal and replacement is the better option. We measure planting sites for available root and canopy space. The goal is to plant the largest tree species possible, within our guide- lines, for each site to maximize the value our urban forest canopy provides. We are using a variety of species since we can't guar- antee what effects climate change will have on our tree inventory. Some of the City's most commonly planted trees are swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor), London planetree (Platanus x acerifolia), dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), sawtooth oak (Q. acu- tissima), Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus), Frontier elm (Ulmus 'Frontier'), Pacific Sunset maple (Acer truncatum x A. platanoides 'Warrenred'), Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata) and amur maackia (Maackia amurensis). The division is striving for same-block tree genus diversity as well. What are some specific ways you involve the community? MU: The division hosts multiple volunteer events through- out the year to improve natural areas and plant street trees. One common activity is the removal of invasive plant species followed by the planting of native trees and shrubs. For more than 30 years, the City has hosted an annual Arbor Day Art Contest to connect elementary students with trees. Kids learn about trees and are able to submit artwork to be judged for awards. Each year, the winning child artist gets a tree planted in their honor at their school or other approved location. Where is the Westerville Urban Forestry Division head- ed next? MU: We want to grow the canopy cover from 34% to 40%. We're well on our way to reaching 13,500 street trees by 2020, which was a target set by the Westerville Shade Tree Commission nearly ten years ago. To reach that objective, we're working on an inventory of plant- ing sites along the streets throughout the City. It would be wonderful to one day have 50% tree canopy and 20,000 street trees. www.urban-forestry.com 31