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When a Tree
Falls on 5th Ave
Does it Make a
Sound?
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That old philosophical question
about a tree falling in the forest turned out not to
be so philosophical this past week on Scottsbluff’s
5th Avenue. Trees fell on 5th
Avenue, and the sound of their falling is still
reverberating throughout the community.
I was invited on a number of
occasions over the past year to express my opinion
on the issue of removing the 5th Avenue
trees and for many reasons I opted not to do so. It
was simply one of those fortunately rare situations
one runs across in life where the interests of the
community end up being at odds with the interests of
individuals. The individuals almost always lose.
While sad, it is one of the prices we pay for living
in a community.
Over the past year I have admired the passion and
tenacity of the 5th Avenue residents as
they fought to save their beloved trees. |
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The real question is what
happens now. And since you asked, here are a couple
of suggestions.
1. I know of no city in the
region that has truly modern plan or program for the
development and maintenance of the trees located on
its parks and in its right of ways. The knowledge
and expertise to develop and implement such plans
and programs is available in the region and in the
state and is available to any city requesting the
assistance at little if any cost. The only thing
required for that to happen is for city officials to
say it will be done. (Note to the City of
Scottsbluff: Routine code enforcement letters to
residents stating that they have five days to prune
their street trees or be fined is probably not part
of an enlightened City Street Tree Program.)
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Previous Articles
Fractions March 15
Yardner March 8
Urban
Legends of Trees March 22
Que
Serra, Serra March 29
Grocery Store or Garbage Dumpster Plants April 5
Planning Your Landscape Project April 12
Planting
Cool Trees April 19
Keeping
Trees Alive April 26
Thrillers, Chillers, Spillers May 03
Will
You Still Love Them May 10
Ornamental Grasses May 17
In
Memory of Cedar Trees May 24
Gardening is not Childs Play
Versatile
Viburnums June 6
Yardner Plants
June 13
2007
Garden Walk and
Blue Spruce Decline
The Birds
& Bees of Butterfly Gardening June 28
Summer
Landscaping July 5
Cutting Your Lawn Down to Size July 12
Some Like it
Hot!! July 19
2006 Articles |
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For me, the personal emotional connection between
these individuals and their trees coupled with the
pleasant shady canopy those trees contributed to the
landscape of the affected residents were really the
primary reasons for city and state officials to
consider sparing the trees. And those are
important considerations in my mind. New
trees will grow up to replace those removed for the
progress of a new street and its related utility
lines. And contrary to often expressed opinions in
letters to the editor over the past year, the new
trees will grow quickly. They will be planted in
locations where they will be able to grow to
maturity. But the new trees will not replace the
emotional attachments, the memories of family life
under the shade trees, or for that matter, the cool
summer shade for several years to come. The new
bright gray street, with its new and improved water
and sewer lines will be little consolation to those
whose trees fell on 5th Avenue this week.
But like trees, city infrastructure also has a life,
and a lifespan. It seems to me that both
Scottsbluff and Gering have done excellent jobs over
the past 10 years replacing and updating aging
infrastructure before the old infrastructure
collapses of old age. It would be nice if the
street trees and the adjacent street would all age
at the same rate and “die” at the same time, but
that rarely happens. And that’s what happened
here. 5th Avenue died before its trees
did. City and state officials were forced to make
a decision weighing the interests of the larger
community against the interests of the street side
residents, and for what it’s worth, with sincere
condolences to the affected residents, I think that
the officials made the right call. |
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2. Public knowledge of trees
and tree care remains inadequate in the region.
It’s probably no worse than anywhere else in the
country (except Ft. Collins, Colorado) but because
the region’s soils and climate pose some unique
challenges to growing trees, the knowledge of
Wyobraskans regarding trees and tree care needs to
be higher than that of residents in other regions.
The Natural Resources Districts, city governments,
and local nurseries and garden centers all have a
stake in this issue, and it seems to me that
partnerships between these entities to promote tree
knowledge should not be difficult to develop. Once
again it is a simple matter of the political will of
city and NRD officials to make this will happen.
There is no reason at all that
every Wyobraska community cannot have it’s own
thriving urban forest. Each one a unique urban
forest filled with healthy shade, evergreen, and
flowering trees. Trees filled with birds,
squirrels, and all of the other wildlife that trees
attract. Trees creating shady landscapes on hot
summer days, and blocking the wind on cold winter
nights. Trees blooming in spring, and yes, even
turning bright colors in the fall.
The trees along 5th
Avenue in Scottsbluff have fallen. They made a
sound.
Will their falling make a difference?
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