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Trees as part of your community –

Why, where and how

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Trees should not be an afterthought. After all, they are just as prominent as many other urban structures. They carry dozens of benefits. Why else would urban areas keep trying to plant them? Trees viewed as impediments to water and sewer and traffic patterns are caused by a lack of science, planning and foresight. Trees, bike path designs, businesses and new traffic patterns can work together and complement each other. But their must be a willingness to do this. Without sidewalk and landscaping guidelines, you are presiding over the incremental removal of tree canopy in the pre-existing poor hardscapes of our cities. An attempt at a guideline was made in Kingston and another in Newburgh. Putting it bluntly, Many tree boards and commissions are advisory, some are even advisory to advisory councils, and are unable to provide strong science-based guidance. You need access to an urban forester, an arborist-planner. Someone who can defend your decisions. A dedicated municipal staff member or consultant, perhaps part time, to continue and internalize trees and canopy cover in your municipal plans and projects or long-lasting change will not take place. I suggest it might be among your first priority in implementing your assessment and guidance goals. 1. Get an urban forester. 2. Have a process.

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Respiration > Photosynthesis

= Stress = Tree Decline

Stress occurs when something limits the ability of the tree to acquire the resources it needs (water, light, essential nutrients, CO2).

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Well kept and designed public spaces encourage public use, improve safety and neighborhood pride, and property values.

3^rd vs 2^nd Street, Judson-N.Lake, City of Albany

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Kingston, NY. The photo on the right has a good width of sidewalk which could have provided even more growing space for large long-lived trees, but coordination with the DPW and Planning Departments is needed, as well as with the private owner who replaced an ugly fence with a nice design. The fence, it appears, could possible have been relocated back a few feet to provide a wide public space without loss of any future parking, but now it is too late. Also, the wide street in the foreground is a one-way street and does not need to be so wide. Do not always accept the poor past infrastructure design that exists when it comes to tree replacement.

The photo on the left. Trees will be removed due to replacement of utilities in the street near the curb, but the wide sidewalk and right-of way may provide opportunities for tree replacement. Trees act as buffers for pedestrians from the street traffic, but where car parking provides buffers, what about the option of planting the tree on the private property side of the sidewalk if homeowners are amenable and the new design would create more growing space for larger trees while avoiding sidewalk heaving and utilities. In order to provide better canopy cover and address climate change and urbanization issues and many other impacts, think out of the box, while working to meet the needs of other municipal departments.

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Opportunities

vs

missed opportunities

Left. Beautiful tree. Shallow planting. Too High. Too Deep. Too small. Too droughty. Too sunny. American hornbeam.

Right. A missed opportunity for larger trees in some places, with structural soils for increased growing space under hardscape. Please see the “Tabling” portion of the NYS CAC conference for “Street Tree planting list ideas.”

An urban forester or municipal arborist may have been able to improve the long term growing conditions and the tree survival over time. More sustainable. But that person, in my experience, especially for large projects, cannot be an outside advisor. An outsider that just drops in. They have to be local. One of you.

Planting BROW (Beyond the Right of Way). There are drawbacks of using the BROW on the private land of willing landowners within 10 feet of the sidewalk. These agreements are not easements and thus cannot be enforced without additional legislation. Yes, you can get state and some grant funding for these trees, but the maximum agreement commonly used in the eastern United States is for two years. After that, a new owner or existing owner can change their mind. These plantings are not guaranteed for the long term.

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A ‘Successful’ program

Assessment Large city i-Tree/inventory/invasives

Small town

Guidance Ordinance

Tree Commission Vison/Master Plan/Goals

Application Permits

Propose projects

Funding

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i-Tree-FREE

Do it yourself:

-i tree Design

-My Tree

-i-Tree Planting

*i-Tree Landscape (Valuable addition to inventory)

* i-Tree Canopy

Used with inventories:

i-Tree Eco (and many others)

I-Tree Design

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I Tree Canopy

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City of Mount Vernon

I-Tree Landscape

Planting Priorities

Index weighted to areas of high proportion of population below poverty line, low tree cover per capita and high available planting space.

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Poughkeepsie

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Westchester County

Percent canopy cover is a good predictor of surface temperatures in both forested and developed areas of Westchester.

A 4 C range in land surface temperatures exists across the range of canopy covers in Westchester. For context, air temperatures across the region have warmed 1-1.5 C.

Research indicates the disproportionate importance of trees in urban and fragmented landscapes as providers of ecosystem services compared to intact, rural landscapes.

(From: Reinmann, A., Environmental Science Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, Hunter College, Department of Geography)

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A ‘Successful’ program

Assessment Large city i-Tree/inventory/invasives

Small town

Guidance Ordinance

Tree Commission Vison/Master Plan/Goals

Application Permits

Propose projects

Funding

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�The case for larger tree species.�First 20 years of tree growth carry much‘fewer’ benefits.

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BMP’s�Best Management Practices�Don’t waste money.

1. LARGER PITS, structural soil, permeable pavements.
2. LONG-LIVED, LARGEST STATURE TREES PRACTICABLE
3. GOOD TREE STRUCTURE (above and below ground)
4. CLEAR PLANTING SPECIFICATIONS (pH, drainage, mulch, planting depth, watering, soil improvement).
5. SPECIES DIVERSITY
6. PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT

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A ‘Successful’ program

Assessment Large city i-Tree/inventory/invasives

Small town

Guidance Ordinance

Tree Commission Vison/Master Plan/Goals

Application Permits

Propose projects

Funding

Assessment: The 3 i’s.

Guidance: These are the enablers, the vehicles, that get you noticed. In order to be effective, they must reinforce Municipal Goals. They are not an add-on. SIDEWALK ORDINANCE, TREE ORDINANCE, CANOPY COVER, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, SUSTAINABILITY, TRAVEL CORRIDORS….

Applications: What is done with the trees/parks. Define the internal review process (permits).

Propose projects based on your goals. It’s better to plan small targeted projects that build on the larger plan. A light touch toward the bigger picture helps demonstrate the value without too much municipal apprehension.

Funding from grants, a tree fund from permits or donations from individual, businesses, neighborhood associations, and the city budget. Often the City budget will follow.

State assists and program supports: (TrainingReLeaf, NYState Urban Forestry Council, Tree City). DEC Maintenance Grants,once you have an inventory can be used to contract out for an arborist.

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Contact information

DEC Urban Forestry Website: Foresters in all 9 regions. https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4957.html

NY State Urban Forestry Council - ReLeaf website

Cornell County Cooperative Extensions

Table: Street tree planting list ideas , Urban Forestry Primer, ‘Trees are Water’ article, NY City Street Tree Planting Standards 2016: https://www.nycgovparks.org/trees/street-tree-planting/parks-plan-review, Poster-”The invasive potential of urban trees.”

George.Profous@dec.ny.gov

Senior Forester, NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, New Paltz, NY 12561, 845-256-3082

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FALL 2016

Reject trees with poor structure from nurseries. Early pruning, while tree is small, can correct poor branching- at low cost.

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Strong branch unions:

Weak branch unions

ASSESS BRANCH ATTACHMENTS

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Thought on Tree Protection/Planting Ordinances.��Many goo sites for info, including DEC Urban Forestry �Try this link: Webex event recording: NY ReLeaf Webinar: Municipal Tree Ordinances and Associated Management Implications-20201016 1302-1�Recording link: https://meetny.webex.com/meetny/lsr.php?RCID=e744057c97ef45feb7cd99ad0d3462cb��Tree ordinance w/o commitment and a clear chain of responsibility/review = failure�Clear review and assessment guidelines for public trees, private trees, subdivisions, for tree removals, pruning and replacement. Subdivisions often easier vs existing developed lots.�Key is community willingness to go how far to address public/private trees.�Sidewalk guidelines for the future. If none, than often you are presiding over the incremental removal of canopy, in very common existing poor hardscapes. (e. g. Kingston). �Planting BOB (Beyond the Right of Way) nice, but unenforceable over time.��