Why does our HOA (who says the city requires it) make us plant a tree between the sidewalk and the street so that in the next 10-20 years the sidewalk is all fucked from the roots, and low branches make it annoying for anyone over 5ft to use the sidewalk?
The idea is that the trees planted will provide benefits that far exceed the costs of pruning or sidewalk repair. These costs can also be minimized with proper species selection, though in my experience HOAs typically lack the expertise to make good decisions on that topic.
Unfortunately, the benefits of trees are often intangible and dispersed across the community, while the costs can be more immediately felt in some cases. Ideally, your town’s urban forestry program should bear these costs so that they can be more evenly distributed like the benefits, but the political environment in some areas does not always allow for enough budget.
This is really interesting, thanks! I had no idea. Our HOA does have a list of approved and disallowed trees but I don’t know the extent of it. Luckily we were able to plant a tree that is local to the area and is a small tree when fully grown. And I do really love that there are lots of trees in the neighborhood.
It’s funny you mention sidewalk repair because I feel like I’ve ever only seen that in one place I’ve lived. Highly anecdotal, I know. Hopefully in several years when the trees are more mature and the sidewalk has issues, the city will fix it.
Unfortunately, that sounds like more of an issue of bad governance than a tree problem per se. Sidewalks and other infrastructure can be damaged various ways, not just by trees, so if the local government is not repairing it then it will become a problem eventually. Keep in mind that many municipalities operate more based off of complaints than providing an even level of service everywhere. So if you are having a problem you may need to complain to get it fixed.
I have a dogwood in my front yard that needs a proper trim. I’m quite handy but I wonder what you think I should do hire an arborist or just research myself and try to use a light touch while trimming branches?
Worthwhile to learn for yourself even if you hire someone—bad pruning is ubiquitous in the tree care industry, even by so-called professionals. Keep in mind that trees don’t need pruning for their own sake. So before doing any pruning you want to have a clear goal in mind. A young tree that you can reach from the ground is easy enough for a layman to prune if you do your research. If it’s bigger I might hire someone but ask questions and ensure they have the proper certifications: ISA in the US.
Plant things that are right in your zone instead of stuff from a more Northern zone, this way when zones shift they’ll survive longer as they’ll be one zone off.
PS: I’m an arborist who creates tree planting plans for a living, let me know if you need advice!
Why does our HOA (who says the city requires it) make us plant a tree between the sidewalk and the street so that in the next 10-20 years the sidewalk is all fucked from the roots, and low branches make it annoying for anyone over 5ft to use the sidewalk?
The idea is that the trees planted will provide benefits that far exceed the costs of pruning or sidewalk repair. These costs can also be minimized with proper species selection, though in my experience HOAs typically lack the expertise to make good decisions on that topic.
This study found that for every dollar spent on tree installation, maintenance, repairs, etc, $5 of public value was returned. Seems like a good investment! https://www.fs.usda.gov/psw/publications/mcpherson/psw_2016_mcpherson004.pdf
Unfortunately, the benefits of trees are often intangible and dispersed across the community, while the costs can be more immediately felt in some cases. Ideally, your town’s urban forestry program should bear these costs so that they can be more evenly distributed like the benefits, but the political environment in some areas does not always allow for enough budget.
This is really interesting, thanks! I had no idea. Our HOA does have a list of approved and disallowed trees but I don’t know the extent of it. Luckily we were able to plant a tree that is local to the area and is a small tree when fully grown. And I do really love that there are lots of trees in the neighborhood.
It’s funny you mention sidewalk repair because I feel like I’ve ever only seen that in one place I’ve lived. Highly anecdotal, I know. Hopefully in several years when the trees are more mature and the sidewalk has issues, the city will fix it.
Unfortunately, that sounds like more of an issue of bad governance than a tree problem per se. Sidewalks and other infrastructure can be damaged various ways, not just by trees, so if the local government is not repairing it then it will become a problem eventually. Keep in mind that many municipalities operate more based off of complaints than providing an even level of service everywhere. So if you are having a problem you may need to complain to get it fixed.
Because the city requires it? 🤔
I have a dogwood in my front yard that needs a proper trim. I’m quite handy but I wonder what you think I should do hire an arborist or just research myself and try to use a light touch while trimming branches?
Worthwhile to learn for yourself even if you hire someone—bad pruning is ubiquitous in the tree care industry, even by so-called professionals. Keep in mind that trees don’t need pruning for their own sake. So before doing any pruning you want to have a clear goal in mind. A young tree that you can reach from the ground is easy enough for a layman to prune if you do your research. If it’s bigger I might hire someone but ask questions and ensure they have the proper certifications: ISA in the US.
Thanks!
How do I pick species that can handle the current climate in my region and the predicted one if shit really hits the fan?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone
Plant things that are right in your zone instead of stuff from a more Northern zone, this way when zones shift they’ll survive longer as they’ll be one zone off.