Memorandum

City of Lawrence                             

Parks and Recreation Department

 

TO:	Mike Wildgen, City Manager
FROM:	Mark Hecker, Park & Maintenance Superintendent
CC:	Fred DeVictor, Director, Park & Recreation
Date:	12-08-04
RE:	Response – Changing out trees for less maintenance

 

Request:  

 

During the CC goals session, Commissioner Schauner brought up the concept of changing out the trees downtown so that they require less maintenance.  I believe we have done some work to accomplish this goal.  Could you write up a brief note indicating the original types/problems of the Massachusetts Street trees and what your division has done or plans to do to replace the original trees?  Thanks, Mike Wildgen, City Manager

 

Staff Response:

 

Over the last 5 years we have replaced over 100 trees downtown.    There are about 300 trees on Massachusetts Street and an equal number on each of the side streets and parking lots.   The trees replaced on Massachusetts Street included:

60 diseased Washington Hawthorne

20 damaged Littleleaf Lindens,

10 White Ash

2 Honey Locust  

 

The Hawthorne trees were replaced with Japanese Tree Lilac, which makes an excellent small street tree.  The other trees were replaced with like kind to keep with the sequence intended by the original landscape architect.  These species are pretty well adapted to hot, dry, compacted sites.  The Lindens especially tolerate severe pruning and vandalism.  The Ash trees provide great fall color and variation.  They also highlight the corners and crosswalks so people can find them. In many planters, the trees are actually large enough to shade the walks and parking.    

Trees on the side streets and parking lots include: Red Oaks, Skyline Honey Locust, ‘Bloodgood’ London Planetree, Pacific Sunset Maple, Cleveland Select Pear, Bald Cypress, and Ash.   These trees need larger root space to grow and have also proved successful in the downtown locations. Several of the trees have been in place since the original installation in 1969 or longer.

 

As to maintenance issues, the tree varieties currently found downtown have been very successful and have grow well with minimal watering, fertilizer or use of pesticides. Maintenance levels increase dramatically with newly planted trees. The first five years after planting require high levels of care due to watering demands, fertilizing and vandalism repair.  

 

As one can see with all of the tree variation we have a diverse population of species and this has helped keep them healthy, thus lowering maintenance requirements. The variety of trees does lengthen the time of fall leaf color, leaf drop, and the man hours and equipment needed for leaf cleanup, but keep in mind that any type of tree used in this setting will create leaves and seeds that will need to be cleaned up.

 

Our downtown benefits from having a number of parks around its perimeter (South Park, Watson Park, Constant Park, Robinson Park, and Town Center).  However, on a windy fall day, leaves from South Park can make it down to 9^th or 10^th Street along Massachusetts, adding to the leaf drop and clean up issue downtown.

 

Coordination efforts are ongoing between Parks & Rec staff and Public Works staff to work together during the leaf drop times of year.  The idea is to blow the material out into the street and then use the street sweeper to pick it up.  Attached are some photos of our sidewalk, parking lot, arcade, and street cleaning equipment at work downtown.