Trees Are Key To Fighting Urban Heat — But Cities Keep Losing Them

[niwell]

Johannesburg is currently struggling with their own parasite that has the potential to decimate the tree canopy - the Shothole Borer. It's estimated that up to 500,000 of the city's 6 million+ trees may be infected or at risk of infection. The area I was in is fine for now, but in nearby suburbs you could begin to see the effect. It seemed quite random in how it's spreading (and nobody knows for sure how it arrived) as one street would be ok an the next had every tree dying and taped off with red "PSHB" banners. It came up quickly too, this street was 100% infected when I was there and fine in 2017 streetview: https://goo.gl/maps/x26aj9iT1hcRnDTx7

General info: http://www.jufa.org.za/pshb.html



https://rosebankkillarneygazette.co....eetle-removed/





Interestingly enough, the city's iconic Jacaranda trees don't seem to be affected. Which is also kind of ironic since they are now considered an invasive species and there is a (somewhat controversial) policy of not replanting when one dies off. Some other native species that aren't affected are being recommended as well:
https://rosebankkillarneygazette.co....5/plant-trees/

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by edale

Oh yes, I know there are native tree species in Southern California. Several types of Oak, Laurel Bay, Black Walnut, Western Sycamore are all native. I meant to say that these trees never created wide spread forests throughout the LA basin and valleys, but rather were just concentrated around stream beds, usually in and around the canyons. The notion that the whole LA basin should be a forest (which is what quite a few people advocate for) just isn't rooted in history or the native ecology of this region.

6th Street in Hancock Park has some of the best tree coverage in LA that I've seen, and it really does create a pleasant environment: https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0635...7i16384!8i8192.

But it's not natural, and those trees (plus all the lawns in Hancock Park) rely on extensive irrigation. It just doesn't seem very sustainable to plant trees like that all throughout the city and region. If people want to live in a forested city, they should move east of the Mississippi or the PNW.

I've really come to hate lawns. If anything, I think THOSE are the most unnatural. Lawns require the most irrigation (natural or not) to maintain that green appearance; plus, they constantly have to be mowed/cut. It's grass, yet it's not allowed to grow naturally like grass. And it's not good for the ecosystem, as they don't attract the native bugs and birds that would otherwise be drawn to native landscaping. In southern California, lawns in front of homes are a holdover from when Anglo Midwesterners and Easterners moved to California. I really like the properties in my area where the owners have gotten rid of their lawns and planted native plants. They provide color and texture and more interesting "curb appeal" in my opinion than lawns.

[SpireGuy]

This thread is timely!

The City of Chicago finally planted 6 additional trees on my street's parkway yesterday. I put in the request 16 months ago after they removed 3 younger trees that died.

There's now 2 Swamp White Oaks, 2 Regal Prince Oaks, and 2 Bald Cypress Trees.

I'd like to make sure they establish root systems and thrive. Is there any thing I should do to monitor them until the first freeze? It may be difficult to haul water, but I can do it.

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by SpireGuy

This thread is timely!

The City of Chicago finally planted 6 additional trees on my street's parkway yesterday. I put in the request 16 months ago after they removed 3 younger trees that died.

There's now 2 Swamp White Oaks, 2 Regal Prince Oaks, and 2 Bald Cypress Trees.

I'd like to make sure they establish root systems and thrive. Is there any thing I should do to monitor them until the first freeze? It may be difficult to haul water, but I can do it.

water them regularly in the first couple years esp if its hot, err on the side of overwatering if it gets above 90 degrees. if you dig down a little into the soil and its dry give them a drink with an open hose. although the good thing is that since autumn is coming up we tend to get lots of rain, so you might not really have to do much until next summer. not sure if the city applied mulch but thats a good idea. you can also add miracle grow to add nutrients, fall is also a good time to do this as this is a time when root growth happens - 3tbsp /gal....2gal ea tree, directly onto the mulch only (not on the grass) then water in w hose.

[sopas ej]

The tree I hate the most, are Asian pear trees. They seem to have been a trend in southern California during the 1970s and 1980s, as many neighborhoods and shopping centers were landscaped with them during that period, it seems. My high school had them planted all around campus. A few of the streets in my parents neighborhood also have them. The supermarket I shop at has them planted in the parking lot. In the spring they have pretty flowers, but they smell like cum! Oh mah gah my friends and I in high school would always talk about the "cum trees" and how nasty they smelled. One girl in my class even commented that it smelled like cheap sex outside. Hahaha!

Do they have these in other parts of the US?

Otherwise known as a Callery pear tree.

photos public domain

[lio45]

Originally Posted by hauntedheadnc

I live in an area where any piece of unattended land will reforest itself with remarkable speed.

Same here, but I think that's pretty much true of anywhere in the humid East. Chicago's drier, maybe...? Being on the edge of the Great Plains like it is?

My home city here in Quebec has a policy that any tree over ~3.5 inches in trunk diameter can't be cut without a permit, and the site of a downtown building that was (stupidly, but let's not get started on this) demolished a few years ago and left to its own devices (i.e. abandoned to weeds) already has Quaking Aspens that are now big enough that if you wanted to re-build a building there, you couldn't just clear the land anymore without having to go to a process to be allowed to cut the "weeds".

(Since I warned the City that if the demolition went forward, the site would likely be empty for the foreseeable future, I have bragged a few times "see, where that building used to stand, there are now trees mature enough that you can't even legally cut them anymore, who was right?" )

Originally Posted by hauntedheadnc

I love urban greenery, I love the ways that people will shoehorn greenery into urban settings, and I love threads that talk about it.

I also love threads that talk about it, on a two-way discussion forum. Via Chicago and Crawford are both intelligent and enjoyable to interact with, on their Good Dr Jekyll days, and I'm sure you'd be the same.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

it had a very hard winter and nearly died.

That's basically impossible here. I'm venturing a guess that the difference is that Chicago's warmer on average, so the insulating snow cover isn't 100% reliable, while the extreme cold snaps can be equivalent.

I suppose you could cover a young free sapling for the first few years, but then again, it's technically on the City's land, you may not even have the right to go and do this yourself.

[Via Chicago]

we picked a variety that was on the edge of our hardiness zone. i have a bit of regret about doing that, but my thought was moreso that in a world where temps are only going to increase over the next several decades, it was getting ahead of the curve a bit. basically it got planted in fall so the roots did not have any real chance to establish themselves and then immediately we got hit by record cold. but its rebounded well after struggling in spring. also the native eastern redbud we planted had no issues at all. but there were definitely a lot of dead trees around the city this spring, esp saplings.

[hauntedheadnc]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

The tree I hate the most, are Asian pear trees. They seem to have been a trend in southern California during the 1970s and 1980s, as many neighborhoods and shopping centers were landscaped with them during that period, it seems. My high school had them planted all around campus. A few of the streets in my parents neighborhood also have them. The supermarket I shop at has them planted in the parking lot. In the spring they have pretty flowers, but they smell like cum! Oh mah gah my friends and I in high school would always talk about the "cum trees" and how nasty they smelled. One girl in my class even commented that it smelled like cheap sex outside. Hahaha!

Do they have these in other parts of the US?

They're an infestation all across the South. They were very popular in the 70's and 80's as a tree to plant in new subdivisions and commercial strips, because they're fast-growing and they flower. However, they also split apart if you so much as think an untoward thought toward them, and they also, as you mentioned, stink to low hell at certain times of the year. I despise them.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by hauntedheadnc

They're an infestation all across the South. They were very popular in the 70's and 80's as a tree to plant in new subdivisions and commercial strips, because they're fast-growing and they flower. However, they also split apart if you so much as think an untoward thought toward them, and they also, as you mentioned, stink to low hell at certain times of the year. I despise them.

they've gone invasive (and are officially considered invasive) in missouri, and the expressway interchanges and ROWs around suburban st. louis are infested with solid groves of them. they call them bradford pears here but its the same thing as the callery.

https://www.stlouis.style

[edale]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

I've really come to hate lawns. If anything, I think THOSE are the most unnatural. Lawns require the most irrigation (natural or not) to maintain that green appearance; plus, they constantly have to be mowed/cut. It's grass, yet it's not allowed to grow naturally like grass. And it's not good for the ecosystem, as they don't attract the native bugs and birds that would otherwise be drawn to native landscaping. In southern California, lawns in front of homes are a holdover from when Anglo Midwesterners and Easterners moved to California. I really like the properties in my area where the owners have gotten rid of their lawns and planted native plants. They provide color and texture and more interesting "curb appeal" in my opinion than lawns.

I agree. I really love to see all the succulents and creative drought tolerant landscapes around my neighborhood. Some of these plants are massive and very colorful. They're much more interesting and beautiful than a patch of grass. Though, as a dog owner, I do appreciate having some grass near by.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

we picked a variety that was on the edge of our hardiness zone. i have a bit of regret about doing that, but my thought was moreso that in a world where temps are only going to increase over the next several decades, it was getting ahead of the curve a bit.

This has been my logic as well in planting ~200 Black Walnuts since 2014 (and this year, 25 White Oaks) at my lands in the Upper Connecticut River Valley, outside the hardiness zones of both of these species. I figure within my lifetime they'll be comfortable, if they can last to that point.

2014-2015 was the coldest winter ever recorded, and all my "first wave" testing walnuts survived it, so it gave me the green light to plant more over the following years.

The tallest ones now are taller than your oak. (The seedlings cost me 60 cents each at the NH State Nursery.)

Edit: also, I've always done all of my planting in the spring.

[jtown,man]

Well, Dorian didn't hit Norfolk directly but it sure knocked down quite a bit of trees. Some of the smaller trees downtown had no chance.

We need those wooden support structures the Japanese use, the ones we use are garbage.

[Ric 0_0]

Originally Posted by smArTaLlone

https://twitter.com/mckayWSB/status/1143126909259321344

Originally Posted by smArTaLlone

There are not many developable sites left around Tech Square.


https://twitter.com/DougTurnbull/sta...18691953082368

Atlanta has some great tree cover all around the city. This is also probably helped by the development patterns of the city where urban centers pop up along single family areas. Even though we have so many trees, we love saving them and hope to save as many as we can.

Although, a lot of work needs to be done to restore tree cover in the streets of Midtown, Downtown, and Buckhead. http://geospatial.gatech.edu/TreesAtlanta/

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

The tree I hate the most, are Asian pear trees. They seem to have been a trend in southern California during the 1970s and 1980s, as many neighborhoods and shopping centers were landscaped with them during that period, it seems. My high school had them planted all around campus. A few of the streets in my parents neighborhood also have them. The supermarket I shop at has them planted in the parking lot. In the spring they have pretty flowers, but they smell like cum! Oh mah gah my friends and I in high school would always talk about the "cum trees" and how nasty they smelled. One girl in my class even commented that it smelled like cheap sex outside. Hahaha!

Do they have these in other parts of the US?

They plant those things everywhere. Also called Bradford Pears.

[lio45]

I went to see my mystery tree today, here are pics of the leaves and bark. I found another younger tree of the same species nearby, took pics of that one too as it shows less mature bark (one more clue).

It does look like elm to me... however no idea if red ("Slippery") or white ("American").

The base of the leaves don't really have that asymmetry that Northern Light highlighted, but if it's not an elm I really don't see what else it can be.






IMG_1124


IMG_1125



IMG_1126



IMG_1127



IMG_1133


IMG_1135


IMG_1138





And here's the bark of a younger individual:


IMG_1149

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Northern Light

If the bark peels in the way that Cedars do, its not an elm, or at least not a healthy one.

If its reddish hue, that could be red/slippery elm; but would not be white/American elm.

Its certainly possible you're looking at an elm, but pictures aside, I need to know why you think the bark looks like Cedar.

Actually when I saw the tree again today I found the bark looked more like mature maple than cedar. I was going from memory when I said that. Anyway, we have pics now, and they're worth infinity words

Looking forward to your opinion!

[Sun Belt]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

I've really come to hate lawns. If anything, I think THOSE are the most unnatural. Lawns require the most irrigation (natural or not) to maintain that green appearance; plus, they constantly have to be mowed/cut. It's grass, yet it's not allowed to grow naturally like grass. And it's not good for the ecosystem, as they don't attract the native bugs and birds that would otherwise be drawn to native landscaping. In southern California, lawns in front of homes are a holdover from when Anglo Midwesterners and Easterners moved to California. I really like the properties in my area where the owners have gotten rid of their lawns and planted native plants. They provide color and texture and more interesting "curb appeal" in my opinion than lawns.

IMO, I love small lawns mixed in with succulents, palms and other local drought tolerant vegetation. You can have it all.

[jtown,man]

Who would have thought an urban forum would have so many people who are so into trees.

[Sun Belt]

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

IMO, I love small lawns mixed in with succulents, palms and other local drought tolerant vegetation. You can have it all.