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M/SUNNY Temp: 69 °F Wind: ESE at 5 mph Monday, September 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend February 26, 2003 A Medford city official cites Queen Anne Avenue as an example of good planning for urban trees, but an arborist and an official for the area�s power company say there�s room for improvement elsewhere in the city. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Urban forestry By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune When it comes to planting, maintenance and replacement, Medford’s urban forest isn’t all it could be. "Going in and cleaning up a tree that’s fallen on a house, that’s crisis management," said Philip Frazee, an Eagle Point resident and consulting arborist. He said Medford could afford to be aggressive in its tree care. The city, said Frazee, needs an individual who is a certified arborist to oversee Medford’s trees and make determinations about hazard trees, which are about to lose a large limb or fall down altogether. Gwendolyn Scott, park programs planning assistant with the Medford Parks and Recreation Department, doesn’t argue. "I think eventually that would be a good thing. It all really has to do with budget," she said. "And it’s not just a forester, we need an urban forester." The city of Medford budgeted $55,770 in their 2001-02 budget for street trees, which includes not only purchasing the trees, but planting, pruning, removing and stump grinding. Scott said the city is responsible for planting and maintaining trees along arterial and collector streets in areas zoned as residential, such as Columbus Avenue, West Jackson Street, Willamette Avenue and Black Oak Drive. Bill Harrington, a certified arborist and utility specialist with Pacific Power, said Medford’s getting better about its trees. "I think that our urban forest is getting better," said Hill, who prunes vegetation around 9,000 miles of power line in Southern Oregon and Northern California — about 2,000 of which is in Medford. He estimates that 85 percent of those power lines have vegetation, a lot of which falls under Medford’s jurisdiction. He said that Pacific Power has a program to remove urban trees that have a potential to become hazards and replace them with more appropriate species. He said he’d like to see Medford get more involved. "I don’t know that they’ve embraced our program the way other communities have," he said. Scott said that the city has been taking advantage of the program, replacing 16 trees in 2001. She also cites the tree-lined Queen Anne Avenue as a success for urban trees, where five blocks of neighbors got together and formed a partnership. With the city’s help, they obtained a $3,000 matching grant from the Oregon Department of Forestry to replace several hazardous 60- to 80-year-old silver maple trees. Frazee said there is still a long way to go. A healthy urban forest plan needs to have established goals that are reviewed periodically, he said. He also said there needs to be communication and coordinated tree planning between agencies, including the parks department, the Public Works Department and the Oregon Department of Transportation. Scott agreed that there is "very little" communication between all the agencies. "It’s a slow process. It’s one of ongoing dialog and education," she said. She said the city put together a comprehensive urban forestry plan in 1998. "Some of it is in place," she said. "It has to do with monies." Scott said the key is educating the public so they can direct council members to pay more attention to trees in the city. Harrington said trees have integrity, and residents and city staff need to do their homework before planting trees. "It’s frustrating for us to have to reduce the crown or prune the tree in a way that doesn’t allow it to reach its natural form and structure." Whether to provide shade, purify the air, or to beautify an area, appropriate trees can add a lot, he said. "There’s no reason why trees and power lines couldn’t have a peaceful coexistence." Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] Prohibited trees Because of their growing habits, the following trees are prohibited by the city for planting between a curb and sidewalk: Willow — the trunk easily splits apart and part of it dies off. Poplar and cottonwood — fast growing with weak wood, susceptible to high winds and sprout many shoots. Conifers — lower limbs extend out far into sidewalk and road. Fruit trees and nut trees — too messy, creating sidewalk hazards. Tree of heaven (ailanthus alata) — aggressive rooter, seeds are messy. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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