The Observation Deck

Don't know if I'm jumping the gun here, but since I'm not divulging state secrets, I think it will probably be ok. I'm not the official "spokesperson", nor am I lobbying for that, but since I'm a regular here on "The Deck", and there has been some curiosity about the task force, I just wanted to fill you in.

Just wanted to let people know that I heard from the mayor's office today that the full 5 member task force is now in place. We have yet to meet, but we're working on scheduling things soon.

Besides myself and David Sangree, who were appointed by Mayor Summers, Council has appointed Marianne Quasebarth Usiak, Sheila Neligan Riley, and Bob Rensel.

I look forward to being a part of this group. As we all saw in the aftermath of Sandy, we all have a vested interest in Lakewood's trees and Lakewood's future.

John

Congrats, John!

Do you know if there is any representation on the Task Force from City Council and/or The Administration?

John Palmer wrote:Besides myself and David Sangree, who were appointed by Mayor Summers, Council has appointed Marianne Quasebarth Usiak, Sheila Neligan Riley, and Bob Rensel.

I look forward to being a part of this group. As we all saw in the aftermath of Sandy, we all have a vested interest in Lakewood's trees and Lakewood's future.

John

John


That is great news. After the death of a Lakewood man in Cleveland a couple weeks ago,
I think it underlines just how important this task force can be. Also as you have pointed
out too many times to mention, many of the problems of trees in Lakewood are just
improperly trimmed or maintained. I mean look at the trimming AT&T does!

So my question would be, if it is not to early in this group to ask.

What will the Tree Task Force do?

And What does it hope to accomplish?

Thanks for coming in.


From the print version, and Rob Masek's depiction of John Palmer.

If you have tree or yard issues. John Palmer is a great call to make.
The easiest way to find him is stop in his brother's Hardware store,
Lakewood Hardware, buy something and ask for his number.

.

Thanks Peter.

The Mayor appointed 2 members of the Task Force, Council appointed 3. No city employees are on the task force, but according to the resolution the Mayor and City Council President submitted to Council:

"The Tree Task Force will assist City government by reviewing our strategies, priorities, communications, and training programs related to urban forestry. They will report their findings and recommendations to Council and the Mayor within nine months and will disband at the end of one year unless Council takes other action. With the help of this citizens' group, Lakewood will remain the great urban forest that it is today, has been historically, and must be tomorrow."

And...

"...this task force will be asked to assess and review available data and policies related to public and private trees in Lakewood; and

...the task force will be asked to provide education to municipal officials and private citizens as circumstances warrant on trees in Lakewood, and to provide recommendations to municipal officials for a short- and long-range planning in this area;

...that the Lakewood Tree Task force is hereby established for the purpose of studying, advising municipal officials and the public, and recommending action items on issues involving public and private trees in the City of Lakewood."

Hope that all helps.

And Jim, tree geek is appropriate. I actually tried to buy the url, but sadly it was already taken by a group of tree nerds in Minnesota. But shhhhh... on the syrup thing. Rob, your tree is first...

John

Just a question for those in the know regarding such things....

I have heard that due to a clay/shale base being relatively close to the topsoil in our area, that this prevents trees from rooting deeply in the earth, therefore making them relatively easy to topple in the winds. Indeed, when we've lost trees on our property, it seemed like the clay was only about a foot or less below the soil in places.

Should Lakewood even think about planting more large trees if our soil cannot support firm rooting?

Can anyone clarify?

Sure Gary.

Actually, the clay soil does not cause rooting issues for most trees in most situations. They've survived in this region for millenia without our assistance. We may make it a little more difficult in areas where we just pile clay on top of clay, like in new developments, but trees are amazing things.

Most of a tree's roots are in the top 6 to 12 inches of soil. People erroneously think that all trees have a 'tap root' that extends far down into the earth to reach ground water. In actuality, most trees lose their tap roots once they start to mature. There is far more moisture in the soil "horizons" near the surface, and most tap roots are stymied by bedrock and other inhospitable soil conditions, and they either stop growing, or turn and travel horizontally. Trees get the moisture they need with the small, fibrous roots near the surface. Those roots can actually travel out as far as 2 to 3 times the area past the canopy. It's a little more challenging in a close knit community like ours, because they're surrounded by brick, concrete, and asphalt. But, you can't stop trees!

Almost all of the recent tree failures we saw was due to the saturation of the soil from the rain, which reduced the resistance against the larger supporting structural roots. Just imagine a root in oatmeal. It was about the same. The roots simply pulled right through the slurry that was once nice, compacted soil. Clay soils have smaller particles, and they hold more water than sandy soils. All that slow draining water made the trees vulnerable to toppling. As long as the trunk "flare" looks healthy (no cracks, or fungus growing on it, no cutting of structural roots), the structural roots should be able to hold up against all but the most violent of storms. We have thousands of survivors as evidence of that.

Our recent tree problems had more to do with the rain than anything. We've had lots of wind before, and far less damage.

I do not think that we have anything to worry about (more than usual, anyway!) with our big trees. They've been standing far longer than most of us.

John,

Thanks so much for your expertise, and as well, for your timely and detailed response.

We once removed a number of pine trees that were on our property. If I understand the story correctly, (and it is an admittedly beautiful tale) a prior family living here got live Christmas trees and planted them every spring.

While that was a beautiful idea, and certainly provided a memorable living experience for those children, at the same time, some of those pines had been planted VERY close to the buildings, with predictable issues resulting. When tree planting, people need to think ahead; many years ahead!

Mushy ground is pretty much going to be an issue around here once in awhile. Shallow roots and big trees will indeed obey the laws of physics, and the bigger they are....well, we know the rest of that one.

Back to the (former tree) banjo.

I find that problem everywhere I go. A simple thing to remember is: Right tree, right place. Learn how big your new tree is going to be at maturity and plan accordingly. If it says it will get 30' wide, then don't plant it closer than 15' to an object. Actually try 20 or 25' so you can freely maneuver around it when it's mature.

An ounce of prevention...

.

Here's an interesting article on the subject of urban trees.

http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/that-tree-on-the-corner-may-be-worth-more-than-your-house

I look forward to hearing from our newly formed Tree Task Force in the coming months.