Don’t forget about the up to 20% increase in property value a tree can add.
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My spouse is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist and was Arboriculture Tech, then Foreman in our city for many years. Trees are controversial. He & his crew might be yelled at when removing dead, dying, dangerous trees. Also, there would be complaining if they didn't prune savagely, to enhance views/light. There were complaints when they planted trees. Most of these people were pretty well off. There was a street with affordable housing, though, where my husband was not authorized to maintain the city trees. He said: "I have never worked on those trees, in the 7 years I've worked here. Put them on the schedule." The manager said no. So the crew was not authorized. My husband got the message and didn't ask again.
Regarding pipes, the pipes in this town are old - 60, 70 years. When a pipe breaks & the water starts leaking out, the tree roots grow towards it. Even so, the homeowner does have to deal with it. Sometimes the city tree is removed. If an old pipe is replaced, likely the tree will stay.
Pay & benefits for his work was excellent. He didn't thrive in a union environment, though - a lot of hazing, which he navigated & reduced. But as he addressed issues of fairness, improper use of equipment, (staff taking equipment home to use for profit) and - worst of all - safety, my husband took his manager and Superintendent's invitation for him "to find opportunties elsewhere."
8
Even in the affluent enclaves of the Grosse Pointes, just north of the city of Detroit, there are low lying sections where the sewers do not drain properly. Indeed, the sewers are old and blocked with tree roots.
The story is well how do you prove the back-up is from the sewer in the street and not from the connector pipe in your yard. And this in an area with breathtaking property taxes.
And so after the insurance has replaced the carpeting in the basement four times, well you just decide that the basement will remain without carpet and not built out.
So in the summer, when the gentlemen are on the golf links, and the ladies are lunching at Jumps, and the children are either sailing or riding or swimming, and the private bankers are meeting with their clients at any number of private clubs, there can be an odd smell wafting about low lying sections of these prosperous glens.
Sort of an industrial bubble gum smell. Bolder than the bubble gum sanitizer in the portable restrooms at the national golf tournaments. And guess what that big bold pong is?
Well it is the industrial sanitizer for the sewers because the sewers are backing up. Not enough to flood basements, but enough to not drain and cause a stink. So in the Pointes: where there is a stank, there is a solution.
And baby in the areas where they are handing out free trees: ain' t no one going to have funds for sewer sanitizer, bubble gum or otherwise.
4
So true! Our Grosse Pointe basement has flooded repeatedly thanks to poor municipal water drainage. So we just tolerate the 70s linoleum, and spend our money at the Dirty Dog instead.
To create a mature tree canopy, there has to be support for maintaining trees-- beyond just handing out free/ low cost ones. Growing trees have to be pruned-- assuming every homeowner will know or else learn how to prune for a proper growing form for their particular variety of tree just isn't realistic; nor is depending on every homeowner to have regular sufficient funds to pay for that service. Having mature trees that stay healthy & don't cause damage requires the capacity to both choose/plant properly & to care for them-- and although they can and do add property value that value is not exactly available to everyone to tap for those funds.
Here in Portland the Parks dept. offers regular free 2 hr pruning programs-- but that has pretty limited reach. Friends of Trees & Portland Parks do a great job of getting free/low cost trees to people (& are getting better at getting the right tree to the right spot); however, wish Portland would do something truly radical and offer arborist support/subsidy to the community.
Another canopy issue in Portland is that the economics of developing infill properties require the largest home possible to get the best margins- meaning that mature trees are often cut down to maximize sq footage. Wish someone would study how to provide incentives to keep those trees. While proposed new zoning to allow duplex/triplex in single resident will adjust the economics toward affordability - won't help with keeping mature trees from the chainsaw.
8
@winky
Keeping trees pruned is costly and it takes years for them to mature. Another problem as they grow is the root system that you have no control over can lift sidewalks causing a huge cost since the homeowner is required to maintain the sidewalk for level sidewalk and the repair is costly also. And damage to the sewers and pipes in front of homes is also the homeowners problem and you can get the city does not pick up the tag for this too.
6
MK you're a real killjoy aren't you. Tree roots only go for pipes that are leaking. From the street to your house is on you, if it's leaking you're polluting the ground with your sewage. Not all trees will bust concrete. You have to choose the appropriate species.
6
As an environmental planner working to promote the benefits of urban trees for health and many other priorities, this is not the first example I've seen where urban residents oppose new trees near their homes, and as some others have commented here, there are legitimate reasons for people to be wary of potential costs, maintenance needs that will fall on local residents or other problems. In many communities, we need to build a stronger commitment and awareness about the benefits of trees and do a lot more to engage local communities in decisions about types of trees, planting locations, and how local governments and utilties can work with residents for the long-term health and viability of abundant urban forests. This certainly requires bigger municipal budgets for maintenance and education. A related problem involves the relatively low status and pay scale for maintenance workers tasked with caring for trees and landscaping -- we need to value these skills, give more training, and create better career paths for workers in these sectors. Until we do this, we will not be able to realize the potential of urban trees and forests to provide benefits our cities sorely need to be resilient, livable and sustainable for all, rich and poor alike.
15
I spent a few years planting trees with a nonprofit group in a major city (not Detroit). It was very interesting to see the huge difference in reception between the rich and poor neighborhoods in which we planted. We were greeted with bagels and coffee by the neighborhood associations in the rich neighborhoods. While many residents in the poor neighborhoods came out to say thanks, a number of others came out to complain. Some trees even had to be taken back out of the ground after they were planted due to complaining residents. I understand that trees require care, but as this article and many others have stated, trees also greatly improve the quality of life in these neighborhoods. I'm not sure what the solution is. We did our best to educate the residents on the benefits. But my guess is that people living in these neighborhoods are very stressed and are unwilling to accept even a tiny bit of responsibility or cost (even just raking leaves). But we shouldn't give up. Keep planting!
18
@Victor " It was very interesting to see the huge difference in reception between the rich and poor neighborhoods in which we planted. We were greeted with bagels and coffee by the neighborhood associations in the rich neighborhoods. While many residents in the poor neighborhoods came out to say thanks, a number of others came out to complain."
Obviously, people in the poorer communities cannot afford to give bagels and coffee to others outside of their families. Also, as other people have stated, this is not about basic upkeep. This about roots blocking sewer lines and other problems. I don't know about where you live, but here in New York City, trees are a blessing and curse. Are you going to pay the fee to remove a dead or storm damaged tree? Are you and your volunteer group going to help with the maintenance costs of these trees?
10
@Crystal Yes, although the homeowners are asked to help water the trees, the group also commits to regular mulching and pruning for the first 5 years. So although the cost of ownership is eventually transferred onto the homeowner, they are also given something of significant value as well for free.
But my point was more broad. When everyone imagines the worst case scenario and decides that they don't want the burden, we are left with barren neighborhoods. These neighborhoods that I mentioned, many decades ago had wonderful, tree-lined streets. You will often find half a dozen homes in a row, none with a single tree in their yard. The environment and these neighborhoods suffer for it.
15
And again sewer lines that don't already leak won't attract roots. If the leak is between the street and the building it belongs to the building. How about maintaining your property instead of these bogus comments.
3
The problem described by this article is largely due to the ineptitude of architects and city planners. Here in Minneapolis they often put trees where they are virtually impossible to grow. The vegetation looks good in the model, but a tree surrounded by concrete and asphalt is not in the best interest of the tree.
In many parts of our city there are cast-iron grates in the sidewalk where a tree was planted shortly after the construction of a nearby building. But a year or two later the seedling was broken by vandals or poisoned by urban runoff (usu. road salt and gasoline) or parched from lack of water or nourishment. Rarely do the architects select hardy native species, and never a tree that drops leaves or seeds. Once the tree dies, then we have to contend with the cast-iron grate in the sidewalk, which are extraordinarily slippery in the winter.
9
Everyone loves the large red maple in my front yard. But they don't pay for the yearly root clearing from the old sewer pipe (vs $1000's to replace the pipe). And pruning is another $3-400 every few years. I totally get why someone might not be able to afford these expenses.
16
Thousands to repair a sewer pipe that is probably 4 inches in diameter? You own a shovel?
People READ THE ARTICLE! My first home was in an old neighborhood with beautiful mature Maple trees. Loved them but then came the problem with roots blocking sewer lines and a neighbor's tree blew down in a storm and damaged my property. If trees are not planted correctly AND MAINTAINED it can be a disaster. I completely understand why they refused them.
14
Already a handful of comments from those who don't seem to really understand the issue (or maybe just didn't read the article).
Trees are great, but urban trees require care. And they can cause quite a lot of damage.
When I bought my house I had to pay a few thousand dollars for a couple of trees to be removed that the previous owner should've handled years ago (yes, I got it knocked off the house price). I'd bet that if I didn't buy this house, other potential owners would've left the trees as is and risked it (both would've eventually caused structural damage to the house). Detroit is filled with damaged trees that either need to be removed completely, treated, or trimmed. All of that costs quite a lot of money.
Residents weren't rejecting trees on a barren landscape. Detroit is filled with trees that already need care. They had financial reasons to oppose adding a new one.
17
“Who could be against a tree” sounds so right but in cities there can be issues that tree care alone can’t fix.
My family in NYC is currently in a Catch 22 where we are being sued by someone who tripped on the sidewalk pushed up by a city tree on our sidewalk. The city acknowledges responsibility but made it clear that we are not allowed to touch or maintain the tree in any way. Here’s what we learned:
The Dept. Of Forestry ‘owns’ the tree
The Dept. Of Parks and Recreation is responsible for maintaining the tree
The Dept. Of Transportation is responsible for the sidewalk
Since being sued, Parks & Rec sent someone from Forestry to inspect the tree. It was rated a 54 in terms of severity. We assumed that some actions would be taken but found out later that it had to exceed an 80 or better for Parks & Rec to take remedial action so it was not part of their 2018 maintenance effort. At the same Transportation came by, inspected the sidewalk and fined us for the tree damaged sidewalk.
After providing a lot of very patient feedback to the city about this circle... I mean Catch-22, the fine was dropped but we were reminded to take no action on the tree.
We now understand that the Dept of Transportation will be fixing the sidewalks on the entire block in 2019 which will include the required root maintenance. To the City’s credit, they’ve also assumed responsibility for fighting the lawsuit (which was probably a sham all along).
Who could possibly be against a tree?
29
ignorance, lack of education, even - sorry to say - stupidity.
how can anyone be against trees? these are probably many of the same people complaining about global warming.
4
@pierre
Speaking of ignorance, it appears you didn't read the article, which answers your question:
"Most residents, the study found, appreciate the benefits of trees; these include alleviating air pollution, storm-water runoff and higher urban temperatures, and helping to reduce stress, crime and noise... The biggest predictor of whether someone declined a tree, it turned out, was whether that person had negative experiences with trees — or with city workers or outsiders who, as one respondent said, 'come in and try to ‘do good,’ but only half do the job.' "
9
On on street where I lived in Detroit, the houses are gone, but the trees remain.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/558+Rosedale+Ct,+Detroit,+MI+48202/@42.3937279,-83.0803155,3a,75y,153.18h,101.31t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sHZ8cMH7qOL16atxRn67kyw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m5!3m4!1s0x8824cd8833f0020f:0x75e967d8954edd02!8m2!3d42.3938707!4d-83.0804686
"Detroit, as I knew it",
www.efn.org/~hkrieger/detroit.htm
6
If you look at that picture closely you will see all you need to know about Detroit. It looks like a recent war zone.
3
@Victor Sorry, but that's wrong. Detroit's footprint is one of the largest in the country, but over 50 years it lost more than half of its one-time population, leaving many houses and entire blocks vacant and blighted. The current city administration has plunged headlong into tearing down unsalvageable housing and selling the remainder for a pittance to urban homesteaders who are rehabilitating the city, one building at a time. What you see in the photo is just the opposite of what you say: it's a block where unusable ruined buildings have been demolished and removed to make way for urban gardens and future construction.
17
So someone else was offering to pay for a tree and plant it in front of their houses and these people said no? Having a mature tree in front of your house can improve the value by $5K to $10K. It sounds like people actively working to be and remain poor.
2
@ThosF No that is not the issue ThosF, the issue is sewerage backing up in your basement because of tree roots in your sewer line. The city will tell you it's your responsibility and not the city's. I don't have the money for a major sewerage clean up and replacing the pipes.
21
It can increase the value in a normal neighborhood with normal economics. In a neighborhood where a nice house is $20K it doesn’t make a whit of difference.
12
You better find the money because your broken sewer line is polluting the ground and it is your problem when you get fined for it and forced to fix it. You can't afford to maintain your property you should rent a apartment.
1
This is the kind of article that makes me despair. We have a beautiful, old beech tree in front of our house and it so enhances the quality of our lives. We bought a crab apple tree for the backyard and a small mimosa that we bought over 20 years ago, is now a large mimosa. These trees bring birds, shade our garden and one of them even gives us fruit. We go outside and take care of the beech tree ourselves, even though the ground in which the tree is planted is technically owned by the city. Our planet is in its death throes. We humans will not be around much longer if we don't step up and integrate Nature into our lives like - now. I know of no other country's citizens that seem to distrust Nature so much. It's disheartening and makes me feel that we will not win this battle.
16
@Joanna Stelling the battle can be won if the city replace the sewer pipes with pvc pipes.
6