Tree trimming in the City of Marysville, shown above on Court Street this week, is expected to continue for the next week or two City officials have said their pruning does not look like tree trimming of the past. The preventative pruning is intended to keep the streets and sidewalks safe and to promote the long-term health of the tree. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
City officials want residents to know the tree trimming they are seeing this week is not the same as it used to be.
“This is not what they are used to,” said Andy Evans, Marysville’s urban forester. “This is well thought out, well planned, well managed.”
He said that in the past tree trimming was done without thought for the long-term health of the tree or the aesthetics.
“In this case, we care about the trees,” said Public Service Director Jeremy Hoyt.
Evans added that, “ideally we are managing the tree for safety and longer term health, but we also want it to look pretty.”
He said he understands residents’ concerns based on the pruning programs of the past, or of the utility companies that do not necessarily care about the long-term condition or look of the tree.
“There is always an assumption, when people see us out there, that we are there to harm the tree, or to make it look ugly or we are just cutting up the tree or we don’t know what we are doing,” Evans said. “They need to know these are competent arborists who are at the top of the crop when it comes to tree care.”
Evans said that when he started in Marysville three years ago, he wanted to create a proactive urban forestry program.
“That’s the best way to maintain the health of the tree in a way that keeps the town safe and keeps the trees growing to maturity.” Evans said.
Part of the proactive approach is preventative maintenance. Evans said that means clearing out dead limbs and making adjustments to strengthen a defect in the tree.
Evans said the tree pruning program has five priorities. They include, in order, risk reduction to the public, management of heathy trees, providing clearance for roadways and traffic management signaling, structural improvement for the tree and aesthetic improvement.
“The ultimate goal of preventative pruning is to have the trees last longer and ultimately be safer for the streets and the pedestrians,” he said.
Even so, contractors are instructed not to prune more than one third of the tree canopy, “unless there is a glaring safety issue they need to address.”
“I hope they don’t end up looking too ugly,” Evans said. “There are some trees that we need to take a certain amount of the tree to keep it safe.”
Evans has divided the city into six areas and developed a plan to address trees in one area each year, as long as funding allows.
This year the central zone was chosen, “because it was in most need.”
Residents in the area are asked to avoid parking near street trees when crews are present.
Officials said that while there is a plan, it is also important to remain flexible so specific needs can be addressed.
“We do not have a particular order yet that we use to select which management zone gets pruned next,” Evans said, adding that he won’t be selecting the zone for next year until later this year.
This round of tree trimming will likely continue for the next week to two weeks, if not longer, officials said.
“I have been staying on them to make sure the quality stays high,” Evans said.
The pruning that is taking place by contractors now is part of the city’s large-tree pruning program. Tree pruning will occur only on trees more than 20 feet tall.
Evans said the city contracts with a pruning company for the larger trees, “because they are a little more difficult.”
“We are also in the process of developing a small-tree pruning program, and a young-tree training program, intended to address the needs of our smaller and newly planted trees,” Evans said.
Hoyt said the city council has made a commitment to trees in the city. He said that investment is “paying off.”
He said residents with questions can call the city at (937) 645-7379.
Pictured above is a portion of the City of Marysville’s interactive tree map which can be found under the urban forestry tab of the city’s website. The image above shows the streets in the area of the Mill Valley Elementary School with Oak species in green, Crabapples in red, Maple species in blue. The inset photo shows the volume of trees cataloged in the entire city. (Online images)