Galveston mass tree removal

[mquinn]

the chain saws are buzzing outside the building, and the sight of felling crews and the smell of freshly sawn oak reminds me of days past with landscape services on the MU campus. except for the great regret here at watching all these (dead) live oaks coming down one after another.

the library director asked for my opinion of a tree that's marked for removal which has some patches of green, and i had to tell him that there isn't enough to warrant saving the grand old thing. he claims people are saying that they need to be given three years to recover, and i told him that they couldn't put leaves on dead wood and in three years they will just be in worse shape. people don't want to hear that, and i understand. today the city forester told him essentially the same thing and mentioned the hazard factor of having those huge dead limbs hanging over the heads of the people who sit beneath them because there's a little bit of shade there. that got his attention.

i asked the city's foreman if there were thousands of arborists on the island for the removal, and he indicated there are. tom, reed, if you happen to be here or come down for the work, get in touch. i need somebody with some tree cutting smarts to talk to the director about cleaning up the few trees that survived. otherwise, it's going to be me talking about something about which i have only a little knowledge. my job these days is computer systems.

fair winds and blessings to all.

m

 

[Tom Dunlap]

I wish that you had better things to post, M, but, it's sad to hear that trees are being removed.

do you know if they wood is being utilized? Open burned? Fuel...sawlogs...compost chips?

What a resource for making sailing ships. Jack Aubrey would love to sail a ship made from sound wood.

 

[6t56]

Is the work being bid out currently,or has it all been awarded?I would be interested in going to galveston to work.There isn't much going on here at home right now.I'm sure my guys would like to go to.

 

[mquinn]

tom, the 'good' trunks are indeed going to build ships. the trees were chosen and marked with a large M. the forester said that's because they're going to 'mystic'. i think he said mystic seaport, which means up in connecticut, i suppose. i don't know what's being done with the rest.
http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=1

 

[mquinn]

6t56: i'm sorry. i didn't ask about how the work got assigned to whom. if you want, you could contact the city forester whose name is Pete Smith. i don't have any contact info, but you could probably google him.

 

[mquinn]

tom: the director contacted the board, and they want to request a 3-month reprieve for the tree we discussed with the forester. in hunting for information on that process, i came across this on the city's web site:

" Question: Where will the City’s tree debris end up?
Answer: Unfortunately, much of the Island’s dead trees will ultimately end up in a landfill. Removal crews will transport tree debris to the City’s remaining debris removal site for temporary storage before the trees are trucked to a landfill. The City and the Galveston Island Tree Conservancy (formerly the Tree Committee) are looking into beneficial uses for our tree waste. However, challenges including the declining market for hardwoods, the combustibility of stockpiled wood and mulch, the recent glut of debris due to Ike, and pest-laden wood, among other issues, make diversion more complicated. Additionally, the possibility of using tree debris for public art is under discussion. The City is weighing all of its options and hopes to divert as many trees from the landfill as possible."

6t56: i also found these contacts:
Alicia Cahill, Public Information Officer, (409) 797-3546
Barbara Sanderson, Director of Parks and Recreation, (409) 621-3177
Email: trees@cityofgalveston.org

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Mystic is a good place for the wood! If there are other shipyards that need the wood I'm sure that they are tapped into the same network.

 

[guymayor]

MQ here is some info on tree art.

Wish i was closer.

 

[Chum]

You didn't talk to Stuart in Hondo, did you?

 

[mquinn]

@oakwilt: i did not talk to stuart. i have been so busy i'm feeling like this really is hell and i was VERY bad in a previous life. is he close by, because i do need to 'recommend' a certified arborist to the library director and board so that someone who knows his/her stuff is guiding the work on the remaining trees.

 

[mquinn]

@guy: i'm missing something - the info on tree art? i wish you were closer, as well. i would know who to recommend to the board of directors. i looked on the ISA website to find certified arborists in the area, and there are some across the causeway in league city, but i don't know any of them, so to recommend, it would just be a toss of the dice, and i really hate to do it that way.

 

[Chum]

Stuart isn't an aborist. He's a soil scientist. What he can do for salt flooding he can't anymore...it's too late.

A&M was the choice, I read. Oh well, they were here too on oak wilt. 'nough said.

 

[mquinn]

yeah, he probably couldn't have done anything anyway. we had no way to get water on anything for too long. so if it was a&m, they were as useless as anyone under the circumstances. so what i need now is a certified arborist to trim out the dead properly on the trees that are still living.