HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011 01 04 Reports - Other Bad Pruning Distributed by Mike Mingea Date: January 4, 2011
The following document was distributed to the
Beautification of Winter Springs Board
Members by Mr. Mike Mingea, Arborist, Urban
Beautification Services Division, Community
Development Department during the January 4,
2011 Meeting and is referred to under Reports.
Consulting Corne k _i ♦ - „ 1` ; � ; .. -- „p.. �; : .
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By David Schwartz : ° '�'" ' - Above, the tree on the left is what all the locust looked
E a r<,„ V ._ = like prior to trimming. These are on Rorie Street All pho-
� • " ? ' � . ` - tos by David Schwartz
n this era of massive budget shortfalls, �� ,
every municipality from the largest to }'- 2010. He wanted to know if the trimming
: id s .. ..•; • -�..
the smallest is looking to save money. r _��, �p `� • , told him that in my opinion, these trees had that was done was proper or improper. I
_?!- ' '
4 The City of Cranston Rhode Island's solu- ;. -•- it ! -
tion was to have their Department of .4.. been severely damaged. At that point, the
Public Works trim the 28- year -old . Councilman approached the Department of
Gleditsia (honey locust). So much for good
, Public Works to ask two questions: What
ideas. , , was the purpose of the trim, and why was
There were approximately 40-45 it being done in such a manner?
- - �
Gleditsia, which were installed in 1982- — I i it The administration responded in an e-
1983 as part of a renovation of the Rolfe � v i -. _ .{'- mail statement issued by Robin Schutt, the
C
Square business district. I am very familiar - administration spokesperson:
i�
with Rolfe Square as I lived in Cranston for "To clarify, tree trimming is something
many years. One day, as I was visiting my that our Highway Department does rou-
post office box, another patron of the post _
='� _r finely. The trees on Rolfe Street required
office, who knew I was an arborist, trimming, as in many cases the branches
approached me to inquire if I had seen the One of the trimmed locust were too low — and did not meet public
trimming the Cranston DPW was doing to safety standards, or were rubbing against
the trees on Rolfe Square. I said I had not Later that day, I received a phone call buildings and roofs. Any damage from
•
noticed, but upon exiting the front door of from Cranston Councilman Emilio those is on the shoulders of the City. I real -
the Post Office, I was rather amazed at what Navarro, who had been receiving calls ize, as does the Public Works department,
I saw. Many of the locust trees had been from concerned residents about the appear - that the long term life of a FEW of these
completely stripped out with up to 75 per- ante of their city's business district. He trees might be compromised — but the real -
cent of the foliage removed. The cuts were requested that I meet him on site. We met ity is that these were not appropriate trees
{ a mix of slab cuts, stubs and ripped bark. on the next day Friday, September 10, in the first place — and eventually will need
22 TREE CARE I DUSTRY — DECEMBER 2010
. .
replacing - trimmed or otherwise (and our from the State of Rhode Island and found - - ` -` - ---•"-- -' _
decision was to save the trees for as long as out that an 8 -foot height clearance is suffi = s _ - - r %
p ossible). " cient; •
some of these trees were raised to 25 - . . = - • v_ . • a The e also claims that the city feet To the statement; "... the long term t w , -_, `_, •
3 r
•e, f , saved $20,000 by doing the trimm in life of a FEW of these trees might be corn- �. ._ 4 . -
house. The City was pushing back pretty promised," I pointed out that the general -+ , - _
d th �• ' ..
h ard to justify their actions, and the fact health of the whole grove of trees would
that this was an election year hardened probably have served Rolfe Square
ev eryone's positions. I am not a political area for another 15 -20 years had the trees .
person, and in my 40 years of practice, I not been damaged in this manner. .- - ' ... . -
-tr have never met a tree that was either The administration attempted to justify _
Republican or Democrat_ My involvement the cutting by saying that the Gleditsia '. ` ' ` ,
was to act on behalf of the most innocent of were not appropriate street trees in the first „ . - '
the victims; the trees themselves. place. I presented the book entitled "Street it `
There was a City Council meeting Tree Factsheets” by Gerhold, Wandell and
scheduled for Monday, September 27. Lacasse, it lists the Gleditsia triacanthos as - - . ,,
Councilman Navarro arranged for me to be a perfectly acceptable street tree. This book to present - - ' •
given 30 minutes tresent on the long is a publication of the Municipal Tree =; -: ,.� v�
term ramifications of the poor pruning. The Restoration Program, with support of the " �' V '
research I had to do for the presentation USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Area Two locust stubs with ripped bark
offered a wider perspective. State and Private Forestry, in cooperation
The Rolfe Square improvement was of forestry agencies of, among others, a loss of continuity of design; the trees are
authorized in 1982. A news release issued Rhode Island. irregular and no longer match either their
in that year stated, "the purpose of the prof- I pointed out to the council that proper total setting, or each other. The contribu-
ect was to make the area more attractive, trimming is beneficial and their goals were tion of the individual trees has been
thus attracting more shoppers." The release valid, but the execution of the work was seriously compromised in terms of provid-
goes on to say; "The Rolfe Street area, in damage by any horticultural standard. The ing shade, temperature mitigation, natural
the heart of our city, offers just such a cuts themselves were either leaving stubs form, etc.
promise for the future." or making flush cuts. The solution that I The City has said that it has saved the
The goal of my slide presentation on the presented to the city council was becoming taxpayers about $20,000.00 by doing this
evening of September 27 was to address familiar with and adhering to ANSI stan- in house. This figure was never justified by
what I believed to be inaccurate statements dards. The most damaging part of the any formal bid. If this job had ANSI spec-
, indiscriminate branch cutting was the ifications as guidelines, I would have
I 1! 1 - a amount of foliage that was removed. Some figured it at approximately $14,000. The
i 4 " ;: ` ' " of the trees had 75 percent of the foliage Gleditsia that make up this grove vary in
e _ .�_,�?, . _;: f ¢ removed after one of the hottest and driest DBH from 7 inches to 16 inches.
c, .. •
s
f summers on record ANSI A300 Part 1 - As an exercise, I did an evaluation on a
t _ 6.1.4 specifies; not more than 25 percent of 12 -inch DBH tree using the Trunk Formula
s = the foliage should be removed within an Method from the 9th edition of The Guide
_ ' _ ,. annual growing season - After a season of
- - - - - ' minimal photosynthesis, these trees have
V = "- = been given a lot more work to do in their
Flush cut - trouble to come. weakened state. What I see for these trees .
about the goals to be achieved, the methods in the next few years, is excessive sucker-
- used, and the long term results. To begin ing, sunscald and progressive decline. The
i with, I could find no City trim specifica- energy that they need to fend off insects 0
s tions, and nothing in the final product and disease will be used for healing unnec-
_ resembled anything in accordance to the essary wounds. -
t ANSI A300 standards. I mentioned to the In 1982, the City hired a landscape -
1 Council that this was not trimming, it was architect to design an esthetically pleasing
- branch cutting, because trimming or prun- business area. The cost of the project at the
ing takes into consideration the health of time was $175,000. The design intent of
the tree. The actions that I saw did not. the project was a continuous alley of tree .
- The spokesperson for the DPW refer - canopy on both sides of the street crnlmi-
s enced the American's with Disabilities Act, nating with a park at a major intersection.
i or ADA. I researched the specifications What the branch cutting accomplished was Final cut with improper proportion.
TREE CARE INDUSTRY - DECEMBER 2010 23
+ 15 trees damaged. I estimate each tree to be and oversight. My concern here is not _
- ,
-yr. :,Z devalued by 66 percent: 15 x $7,100 = whether the DPW or a private company
; 1 $106,500. $106,500 x .66 = a net loss of does the trimming. I have seen other town
.'' $70,290. or city departments do perfectly acceptable
';m; When you view the damage to the whole trimming, and I have seen private compa-
4 .- project, the figures run much higher. What nies do completely substandard work The
�, " .- , - _- , -= cost $175,000 in 1982 could easily cost point to this is that the ANSI standards
$350,000 to $525,000 in 2010. If these are have to be incorporated and followed
1M + the methods that are to be used, I don't As professional arborists, our primary
P r know how much more money that the City goal is to care for trees on their journey
_ of Cranston can afford to save. through time so that they can be passed on
Where this situation stands now, is that for the enjoyment of the next generation.
the City intends to continue the cutting, We are the "Guardians of Tomorrow." Poor
regardless of the additional damage. One tree care has the greatest impact on a tree, -
bright note is that Councilman Navarro, and trees have very long memories. One of r `
with the support of some of the other the principal precepts of medical ethics is
- Council members, is attempting to include "do no harm." The ethical practitioner of
...,------_ the ANSI A300 standards as part of any arboriculture needs to apply this guideline
!...1..---.:/I tree trimming in the City of Cranston, no as well.
matter who does the trimming. One major
The beautification °i Rolfe Square. logistical problem would be quality control David L. Schwartz is the owner of
for Plant Appraisal. I have valued one 12- if the Department of Public Works contin- Schwartz Tree Care in Coventry, Rhode
ues doing
inch tree at $7,100. There have so far been g the work, in terms of training Island. 4
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24 TREE CARE INDUSTRY - DECEMBER 2010