Historic Tree Foundation idea

ginkobalboa

ginkobalboa

Location
above the KY rhizosphere
A friend asked me recently if I would be interested in starting an historic tree foundation to survey and protect important trees in and around Louisville. Of course, I am interested in working on a project like this. Anyone care to share their experiences with this kind of thing?
 
In 1992 the Centre County(Pennsylvania) Historical Society published the "Notable Trees of Centre County". They used it as an informative fund raiser and the plan at that time was to continue to update it at predetermined intervals. I don't know if that ever happened. I suggested several entries to the original. You may want to partner with a local historical society as they may have interest in your project.
 
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Does Louisville have any historic tree protection ordinances?

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Not that I know of. At least not yet. The mayor formed a city tree board last year, but I think their main mission is to plant more trees. There was a UL study done a couple years ago that said our city only had something like 27% canopy cover.
 
27%! That's very little...
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Providence, RI began a program called 'Trees 2020', which Many trees have been planted as a result. The number of trees successfully established will never be 100%, for sure, but the fact is that trees, even in relatively poor condition, still contribute to the goal.

It's difficult to stroll down some of the sidewalks due to low branched nursery stock, but that;s a small price to pay for so many trees, IMO.

RIDEM has also issued a statement to all RI licensed arborists which demands any tree over 28" DBH (correct me if I'm wrong) must be approved prior to removal. I think that's a step in the right direction, for a city. I'm sure large trees are still being removed without permit, and I'm sure there will still be situations in which one hand will wash the other to get healthy, valuable trees removed, but still...

Maybe you can start an new iTree inventory and create your own register of valuable trees. That's something I'll be aiming to introduce in my town, and a nearby park, over the next few years.

If you're looking for funding, you'll need to have a committee built to oversee the use of the funds, and an inventory will sure help to show that you're serious.
 
Actually, 27% is a pretty good number. Not ideal, but better than many major cities. Providence's program (Trees 2020) is aiming for 30% by the year 2020. For Providence, this is a realistic goal, because of the actual amount of plantable space. A canopy study was done using aerial photos combined with field editing to verify these spaces to come up with the 30% number.

The ideal % for a city will ultimately be determined by the amount of plantable space.

Also, the 'Significant Tree' protection portion of the City's zoning ordinance is for trees 32 inches or greater. :)

-Tom
 
Here's a program that Asheville, NC has in place:

Asheville Treasured Trees

Something that's important to consider is what impact treasured/historic status might have on a tree. In cities without solid tree protection ordinances it could be cumbersome for tree owners to do anything, even the agreed upon best thing, for a designated tree.

I've talked with Susan R. from AVL Greenworks who has told me that some people like the idea but don't want the attention. Many of the tree owners are super supportive of 'green' things but don't trust 'the system' when it might come to routine pruning or maintenance.

Austin, TX has a good tree protection ordinance. Worth investigating.
 
Thanks Tom, and Tom! I had a feeling that I was off on the DBH...hey, at least I favored a smaller diameter! :)

The amount of plantable space should be a moving target, in my opinion, as 'green space' is possible to create in places where old structures are slated for removal, or construction projects alter things dramatically. One would think that the studies done on urban canopy investment/return should make more green space a first option whenever hardscape is removed or altered.

We can wish, of course...
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The on-street overnight parking ban in Providence (lifted in some areas with permit) has been a huge issue for green space, as homeowners need to provide minimum amounts of parking off street and therefore cannot plant or garden in these areas. Boo.

Sorry for the minor derail.

-Tom
 
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Does Louisville have any historic tree protection ordinances?

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Not that I know of. At least not yet.

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That would be a valuable first step.
 
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Does Louisville have any historic tree protection ordinances?

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Not that I know of. At least not yet.

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That would be a valuable first step.

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My impression is ordinances are a double edged sword. I think recognition might work better than regulation. Maybe I'm wrong?
 
It depends on the municipality. A well-worded regulation with stipulations that allow for hazard mitigation and removal, coupled with an over-seer with some common sense (tree warden, committee, or whatever...) can work quite well.

If you have overseers that are overzealous, and will allow a huge tree to fail before allowing any work on it... it sucks.

I'm not a huge fan of any government intrusion, but I do like trees.
 
An individual historic tree story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGDCZA-tpMc

And a response: Nice job showing care of an abused tree. What happened to the other walnut?

At 1:02 you speak well of the battle between decay and new growth, showing burls from callus with fresh pruning wounds from sprout removal--why were these sprouts removed?

Trenching roots was one problem hard to remedy, but soil compaction and fill on the flare (evidenced by the "telephone pole" look) can be mitigated by clearing the flare and root invigoration.

If the pull test opens that crack too much, what to do?
 
Urban developement and canopy coverage will never coincide! We are the people that care about the trees and not too many of us live in major cities( as in downtown the legit city living) we love trees so most of us on the buzz live in the burbs or the country. How many developer or architects are the buzz to have a real conversation about this!
 
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How many developer or architects are the buzz to have a real conversation about this!

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Excellent point, but it's quite hard to draw them into the convewrsation unless there is a financial gun to their heads.

A few care, and do great things.
 
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