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/744699
30 City Trees The conifers are my favorite group of trees. Not only do they give structure to the landscape, they also lend it char- acter and enrich the species diversity of the urban forest. As the evolutionary predecessors to the angiosperms, the conifers offer a more primitive expression of nature. That inspired in me the idea that in the most optimal evolutionary sequence of successful processes, it is first necessary to bring functional order—as do the conifers—and after that comes room for flexi- bility and adaptability—as we observe in angiosperms. In Chile, arborists have generally taken for granted that conifers can only be used in places that provide a lot of space, which would preclude their use along streets and avenues. My opinion changed when I saw a picture of large Italian stone pine trees (Pinus pinea) dominating the canopy of an urbanized street in Rome. We need a more substantive discussion in this regard, involving the participation of nurserymen, landscapers, and urban designers, and a review of what has been done in more advanced countries. There are smaller conifer species, varieties to suit nar - rower spaces like Cupressus sempervirens var. Pyramidalis, and others that can be managed through proper pruning. Unfortunately, conifers are barely represented in the lists of species recommended for planting in our metropolitan region. For example, among conifers the Urban Forestation Guide of the Chilean Association of Landscape Professionals recommends using only three species of the genus Cedrus. Where there are conifers planted in private gardens, homeowners sometimes become fearful of how large they will become and either top or remove them. We need more discussion and education about conifers, the benefits they provide, their management, and the wide variety of species and cultivars that we could plant. The most outstanding representative of the few conifers that are grown in our region is the cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani). Although its native habitat is the mountain forests of Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey, for me the cedar of Lebanon brings to mind the sea, and I enjoy its long side branches sloping downward with unmatched grace, forming its characteristic horizontal lay- ers. It is a very friendly and modest giant—a wonderful conifer and one of my favorites. In Santiago, it has been used exten- sively in squares and parks. In I. Municipalidad de Calera de Tango, in a small patch of earth adjacent to our municipal building, a magnificent specimen of cedar of Lebanon dominates the landscape. We've never paid much attention to the tree, because it has never given any rea- son to do so, except the very sporadic concern of some official primarily because of its height. The solitary cedar strikes me as proud and unflappable as it silently accompanies the daily work of the municipality. When I encounter the tree each morning, I look upon it with curiosity and then make sure it doesn't rep- resent a danger to anyone so that it doesn't attract unwanted attention that could lead to its removal. My most favorite conifer is one that is quite adapted to our Mediterranean climate, the elegant cypress. My first emotional encounter with this tree happened in front of some paintings of Van Gogh that depict dark, fastigiate cypresses. Since then, I have dreamt of seeing the slim silhouette of those mystical cypresses throughout my city. I have tried out several different conifer species in Cumberland. Because we have soils that tend to be alka- line, I have had better success with trees that are high-pH tolerant. Serbian spruce (Picea omorika), Norway spruce (P. abies), Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi), Chinese juni- per (Juniperus chinensis), eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), and eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) are the species that have been somewhat successful. The cedars/ junipers and spruces tend to be less browsed by deer but they can see some damage from antler rubbing. Last year I planted a dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) to see how it would do here. I have tried planting eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) but have been unsuccessful in getting it established, and the older hemlock trees here tend to get hit with hemlock woolly adelgid. Recently, we have been seeing decline of some of the spruce spe- cies such as Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens) and Norway spruce. I think it may be related to the spruce decline that has been seen in other states around us that is thought to be caused by some combination of environ- mental changes and pathogens. —Paul Eriksson, Natural Resources Specialist, Engineering Division, City of Cumberland, MD The showy, slow-growing araucaria or monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) is native to parts of Chile. Despite being quite far from its biotope of origin, in our region it has frequently been planted in gardens, perhaps for the curious effect produced by its wide branches (see photo). It's considered a source of pride to have it within a private tree collection. For its historic, ecosys - tem, and cultural importance, it was declared a natural monument by the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture nearly 40 years ago, and in our community it is prohibited to take it down. We want future generations to enjoy it in the state of maturity that we do. In my municipality there is a courtyard that houses large trees. Among them, two imposing Parana pines (Araucaria angustifo- lia) with their bare trunks as straight as two columns frame an outdoor amphitheater. These araucarias steal attention from performances when, by the capricious mood swings that our climate has had lately, an unusually strong wind picks up, scat- tering countless dead and live branches below. Despite this, and the fact that the needles are extremely sharp-tipped, no one dares complain about these beautiful specimens. Recently the governing council of Calera de Tango approved an urban tree ordinance, which constitutes the first of its kind in the metropolitan region and the second nationally. Hopefully it will be a tool to transform our urban forest. For now, it will help us preserve the large specimens, among them giant cedars of Lebanon and Parana pines, from the indiscriminate and vora- cious advance of the inhospitable "concrete jungle." —Felipe Fuentes Ramírez, Municipal Arborist, I. Municipalidad de Calera de Tango, Chile