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FORESTRY SERVICES
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STREET TREES AND OUR CITY FOREST
Watertown is indeed a forest made up of many different species of trees and other plants. If you stand on a high vantage point, you will be able to perceive our city forest which is composed of trees on both private and public property. Street trees are on public property and make up a very important part of our city forest. Management of our street trees is the responsibility of the Forestry Division of the Park, Recreation and Forestry Department. It is the intent of the department to make the property owner a part of our management program.
It is our goal to develop a management program which will assure the city of a safe, green and healthy city forest and to do so with the help and cooperation of the city's property owners.
Management of our street trees is an on-going challenge. For the most part, trees growing in the city right-of-way are attempting to survive in a very hostile environment. Often growing in poor soil, subject to various pollutants and roots forced to compete with concrete and asphalt, our street trees must withstand physical abuse from cars, trucks, snowplows, lawn mowers and people.
Property owners wishing to plant a tree in the tree terrace and street right-of-way must first obtain a planting permit from the city forester. A permit is required so that undesirable species of trees can be kept off the street right-of-way. Undesirable trees (silver maples and box elders) cause many problems such as: clogged sanitary sewer pipes, uprooting of sidewalks/curbs, conflicts with utility lines. They are very brittle, weak-wooded trees, susceptible to frequent storm damage. The key to successful planting is to choose the proper tree for each location. A Forestry Department representative will meet with each property owner to evaluate the proposed planting site. All sites must meet the requirements set forth in the city’s street tree ordinance.
Click on red to read code Municipal Code Chapter 8.16 (11).
Click here for a List of Recommended Trees to Plant
1. The planting hole should be cylindrical in shape.
2. The diameter of the hole should be large enough to provide at least 12 inches of backfill around the sides of the root system, the wider the hole the better.
3. Extreme care needs to be taken so as not to excavate to a depth that exceeds the height of the root system or ball. Backfilling of the hole to raise the height of the tree is not a good idea as the tree is likely to settle with time below the root flare.
4. IMPORTANT: It is very important that the root flare (widening at the base of the trunk) be 1" to 2" higher than the surrounding grade.
5. The sides of the planting hole should never be glazed. This will happen when the hole is dug by means of a mechanical device such as an auger.
6. Backfill should be clean and free of large debris. It is not however, a good idea to backfill a planting hole in hardpan soils with rich clean topsoil. Doing so may develop a birdbath effect, which can cause the tree to drown.
7. For Balled and Burlapped trees, remove as much of the twine, burlap, and wire basket as possible without disrupting the structure of the root ball.
8. We do not recommend the use of tree wrap for the trunks of the trees.
9. We do not recommend staking of trees unless absolutely necessary. If staking is required to get a tree established the staking shall be removed after no more then one growing season.
10. Please thoroughly water the tree immediately after planting.
WATERING
Each tree should receive approximately 8 to 10 gallons of water per week. When Mother Nature is not providing adequate water it is best to thoroughly water the tree once per week. Watering should be done slowly so that it soaks into the ground around the tree. Additional watering may be required during drought conditions. A good way to water a young tree is to use a 5 gallon pail with holes drilled in the bottom which will allow for a slow thorough watering and will help prevent runoff.
MULCH
A 3 to 4 inch layer of mulch (wood chips) should be placed over the root zone of your tree.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. Please do not place excessive amounts of mulch around the base of the tree, 3 to 4 inches is adequate.
2. Occasionally pull the mulch back from the trunk of the tree.
FERTILIZER
In most cases the soils in the Watertown area are quite fertile and addition fertilization is not necessary. Should you choose to fertilize your tree, the best time to apply fertilizer is in September. Do not fertilize in during the summer months. Standard lawn fertilizer spread on the ground surface should be sufficient to meet the tree’s need. A slow release type fertilize is preferred and will supply nutrients more consistently and over a longer period of time. Soil incorporation is not necessary.
FLOWER BOXES
The department discourages the use of flower boxes around the base of the tree. There is a danger of disrupting the tree’s root system and the boxes tend to hold mulch and dirt in contact with the tree trunk.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. Please do not add topsoil over the root ball.
PROPERTY OWNER HELP REQUESTED
City ordinance prohibits citizens from pruning trees in the street right-of-way. This is done to assure that proper pruning standards and techniques are followed. City crews follow the pruning standards of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI A300). The department does, however, encourage property owners to remove sucker growth from the base of the tree as long as the pruning is not structural in nature. To perform this sucker removal, please use a sharp pruning shears, make a smooth cut closely to the trunk taking care not to cut into the trunk. For trees, which have been in place for more than five years, the suckering branches can also be removed from the trunk of the tree.
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Proper Technique |
As with most things, too much of a good thing can be harmful. Placing heavy amounts of mulch around and up against the tree trunks is not healthy for the tree. The practice of over mulching can be very harmful to the trees. Mulch that is deeper than 4 inches may cause the roots to grow upward into the cool moist mulch causing a shallow, vulnerable root zone. It is recommended that mulch material be kept away from the trunk, to keep the bark from being damaged by rodents and excess moisture. Building boxes around tree and filling the boxes with dirt and various types of mulch and planting flowers can also be harmful to your trees. The planting of flowers around new trees (3 to 5 years after transplant) is not recommended as the flowers are taking valuable nutrients away from the trees.
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Proper mulching materials include wood chips, shredded bark, ground corn cobs, and composed materials (stone and gravel mulch are not recommended). Place a 3 to 4 inch deep layer of one of the recommended mulch materials over the root zone. Do not allow the mulch to accumulate around the trunk of the tree.
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As organic mulch decomposes it will utilize some of the available nitrogen in the soil. To compensate, an annual application of high nitrogen fertilizer such as lawn fertilizer is recommended. Planter boxes are not recommended for around trees and Forestry officials will be notifying property owners to remove planter boxes and heavy mulching on city street trees.
The City of Watertown recognizes and appreciates the many benefits and the value of trees and is committed to saving as many trees as possible during the street reconstruction process. It is however, an unfortunate fact of life that conflicts will develop with streets, sidewalks, utilities and trees all occupying much of the same space along our city streets. Street reconstruction projects often include the widening of a street, upgrading of storm and sanitary sewer systems, replacement of lead water laterals and many times upgrading of utilities, such as; telephone, electric and gas. These upgrades to the infrastructure of our city can cause significant damage to a tree’s root system and may require considerable pruning of the tree’s canopy. Unfortunately, some trees will need to be removed when the damage caused is significant enough to create a serious safety concern or will likely kill the tree soon after the construction process is completed.
Prior to construction the Forestry Department evaluates all street trees along the proposed construction route. Evaluation criteria includes: overall heath and structure of the tree, value of the species, anticipated root damage and needed canopy pruning.
A determination is then made as to whether or not the tree must be removed. The Forestry Department works closely with the various Public Works Departments, contractors and utilities to carefully excavate around trees to reduce root damage, as much as possible. The key to reducing root damage is to prohibit cutting/crushing the roots with excavation equipment and keeping heavy equipment off of the critical root zone of the tree. As tree roots are carefully exposed, Forestry Dept. personnel hand cut the roots as smooth as possible, which helps promote better root recovery. This can be a time-consuming operation but the less damage done to the root system, the better chance the tree has of survival.
Construction crews are required to mark out a root protection area, which is referred to as the Root Protection Radius. The Root Protection Radius is determined by the diameter of the tree trunk. A larger tree will have a proportionately larger Root Protection Radius then a tree with a small trunk diameter. While working within this Root Protection Radius, construction crews are required to follow specific tree protection guidelines.
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EMERALD ASH BORER IS IN WISCONSIN (February 9, 2009)
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Yes, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been found in Wisconsin. EBA was first discovered in southeast Michigan in 2002 and has since been found in eight other states, including Wisconsin. On August 1, of 2008, emerald ash borer was discovered near and in the village of Newburg in Ozaukee & Washington Counties. The size of the infestation is currently unknown and surveys to determine the extent and age of the infestation are ongoing. Large purple, kit like, sticky traps are being placed throughout the state to help determine if adult insects are present and girdled detection trees are also being peeled and examined in an effort to determine if EBA larvae are present. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) declared a quarantine for all of Ozaukee, Washington, Fond du Lac and Sheboygan Counties. The quarantine restricts the movement of hardwood firewood, ash nursery stock, ash logs and any other ash products that could transport EBA. What does this mean for the City of Watertown and the surrounding area? It appears that it is just a matter of time before we will be dealing with this deadly pest. Watertown, like most communities, has a significant number of ash trees. The control EAB, removal and disposal of the dead trees will be very expensive. The devastation very well could become comparable to that of the Dutch Elm Disease, which devastated the American Elm tree population in the 1960's and 1970's. EAB does not distinguish between ash species. It will attack all ash species, including green, white, blue and black Ash. Mountain Ash, which is not a true ash, is not affected by the borer. It is estimated that the City of Watertown has approximately 2,500 ash trees growing on city street terraces. It is estimated that the ash population on private property is approximately ten times that of the street terrace numbers. One can easily see that the EAB posses a very serious and potentially expensive threat to the city and the surrounding area. The removal and disposal of 27,000 to 28,000 city ash trees would be a very daunting task. EAB kills large areas of ash trees very quickly and its arrival will present enormous budget and workload challenges. If trees are not removed while they are still green, they become very brittle and much more dangerous and expensive to remove. Watertown Forestry Department officials are continuing to monitor the situation and have taken a more aggressive approach to removing declining ash trees. The planting of ash trees on street terrace right-of-way is no longer permitted. The department is also in the process of developing an EAB Readiness Plan. To help prevent the spread of EAB, citizens are reminded that firewood should not be transported out of the area in which it has been cut. Citizens are encouraged to inspect their ash trees and look for symptoms of the emerald ash borer and report their concerns to the department at 262-8080. Symptoms of an EBA infected ash include:
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Wood chip mulch is available to the public at most times during the year. Residents may pick up chips at the landfill site located on Boomer Street at the former Izaak Walton Recycling Center. There is no charge.
The removal of a tree is never a pleasant task. However, tree removal is a very important part of any urban forestry program. There are a number of reasons why a tree may have to be removed. Some of the more common are: excessive decay, thinning to improve growing conditions of adjacent trees, severe up-rooting of sidewalks and curbing, clogged sewer lines, structural deformities, safety hazards, and construction such as driveways, roads and utilities.
Each September, department personnel canvass the entire city and mark the trees to be removed with red-orange paint. These trees are scheduled for removal over the winter months beginning in December. A contractor will remove the stumps the following fall, department crews remove debris, fill holes and reseed stump areas. Inquiries as to why a tree was marked are welcome. Adjacent property owners may keep the wood from trees fronting their property. Call the office at 262-8080 if you wish to keep the firewood.
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