The city of Monroe is taking first steps and considering a second round of tree felling after a similar major citywide project earlier this year that at times drew the ire of residents.
Patrick Lewis, the city’s director of engineering and public services, addressed the city council during Monday’s working session, detailing initial discussions and the work done on the project, whether it could be properly funded and approved.
The first round began in January 2022 and removed 101 trees across the city that were deemed potentially hazardous due to factors including trunk or branch damage and peeling bark.
Lewis said a second purge would be on a smaller scale.
“We’re not remotely talking about intensity here… that’s not the point here,” he said. “But due to last year’s storms and some others we had this year that weren’t quite as bad, we remain concerned for local residents.”
The biggest concern, he said, remains the city’s large population of silver maples. Of the 101 trees removed earlier this year, 86 were silver maples. Lewis noted at the time that the species was problematic because of its rapid growth but a weaker support system that can fail during storms.
“I’ve mentioned in the past that ideally, over a period of time, maybe 10 years, this city would put in place a silver maple eradication program,” Lewis said. “But we would have to do about 100 a year to get rid of them all. So that’s a dent and we’re not really looking proactively here, it’s just stuff coming from residents that we’ve judged and said, ‘Yeah, they have to go down.’”
The city’s Public Service Forestry Department has already identified about 90 trees of concern, Lewis said.
The biggest problem is funding. Assistant City Manager and Treasurer Ed Sell, who served as interim city manager at Monday’s meeting, said some funds were still available through the city’s Capital Improvements Program, but not enough to cover the removal of every identified tree.
“I asked the staff to identify the highest priority on that list,” Lewis said. “Because we added up the total and what we already have on the list would be about $177,000, and the city manager and treasurer only identified about $100,000 in grants.”
Lewis also said a contractor would be required to complete the work on time. City forest personnel have the option to remove the trees, but a contractor could complete the work faster.
The city hired New Baltimore-based TC Tree Service for the first round of cleanup earlier this year. The same contractor has agreed to keep its pricing in place if the city goes through with a second round, Lewis said.
The first round of tree felling drew some criticism from city dwellers, particularly from the neighborhood known colloquially as St. Mary’s Garden, which lies north of East Elm Avenue and includes West Lorain Street and Godfroy, St. Mary’s, and Borgess Avenues.
This neighborhood was disproportionately affected by the project due to the large number of silver maples in the area. This led to some residents raising concerns at the time about the aesthetic impact on the neighborhood and the lack of upfront communication from the city.
In October, the City Council unanimously approved the purchase of 169 trees to replace some of those removed as well as others lost to storms. In 2021, the city also established a Tree Advisory Commission to give residents the opportunity to provide feedback and have a direct impact on the city’s tree cutting and/or planting projects.
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https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/local/2022/12/09/monroe-considering-second-round-of-tree-removal/69707293007/
