Chances are, you’ve never thought too much about the trees in Chestertown (unless you’ve been standing too long in the sun during Tea Party!). At least, you may not until they are cut down. Recent pruning efforts, disease, and efforts to protect home and property have taken a toll on some of our local iconic specimens. In the loss of our champion basswood, to the removal of the American sycamore in front of Evergrain, and in the handful of old oaks and elms that have been cut down on Washington College grounds; we see a perceived reduction in canopy, shade, and ecosystem services for the town. I would argue that this is the natural order of things. Everything has an expiration date. Trees planted in a sterile, narrow strip of life in between sidewalk and roadway have a much more brief time in the sun than a magnificent field-grown specimen with spread roots. What matters most is what we do after the spent tree is parceled out, ground up, and hauled away.
The temptation to plant something “pretty” is a strong one. Kousa dogwood, crepe myrtle, and other non-native ornamentals are beautiful and disease and pest resistant. Japanese Zelkova is great for street plantings as the tree is quick growing in its first years. Ginko Biloba is beautiful in the fall and is resistant to snow and wind damage. Norway Maple has beautiful fall color and is both weather resistant and highly adaptable. Bradford pear trees during the early spring are absolutely covered in flowers, grow quickly, and are very inexpensive.
The benefits of these “pretty” non-natives are offset by the inherent problems they pose. Kousa is so insect resistant that not one single insect eats it; it has no local biological importance. Our native dogwoods (florida and amomum) are equally beautiful and they support hundreds of native insects. Bradford pear trees have a very short life span and can be invasive. Our native oak trees in the Mid-Atlantic states host as many as 537 species of caterpillars, which are important food for birds and other insects. Native willows come in second with 456 species. Ginkgo, on the other hand, supports 3 species, and zelkova, supports zero. Norway maples are considered invasive in many North American states (meaning they crowd out native species).
All of these non-native ornamentals can be found in Chestertown quite easily. We have an unfortunate number of zelkova downtown and on the College grounds. The landscaping by Redners is entirely Bradford pear. Traveling north out of town you run a Ginko gauntlet. According to Dr. Doug Tallamy, “over 3400 species of alien plants have invaded 100 million acres of the U.S, and that area is expected to double in the next 5 years.” I would hope that we could dig a little deeper as a town and community and plant smarter.
This Earth Day, help out our community and plant a native tree. (Or two!)
Carol Mylander says
Thank you, Ben. The largest native trees in my Chestertown neighborhood are huge old pecan trees. I would love to see these trees protected. I have planted loblollies, native dogwoods, mock orange and have been pleasantly surprised at the huge bird population on my 1/2 acre.
Jenifer Emley says
Thanks, Ben, this is very helpful !
Ellie Altman says
Well stated, Mr. Ford!
Michael Jensen says
Ben –
This is well stated and I agree 100%. Your approach and thinking is exactly what is needed to restore and preserve the Earth for future generations.
Joe Irr says
Well stated Ben.
Miles Barnard says
Nailed it Ben. with the huge selection of native trees we have here in the Mid-Atlantic there is absolutely no reason to select something non-native. That being said there’s a lot that goes into selecting the right ones. Let’s all insist on thoughtful and careful design decisions which should also include thinking about what sort of soil volume we are providing before we plant.
Joe diamond says
Miles,
I too was thinking there is more to planting trees than just selection. Here is a typical tree planting specification (from Seattle, WA) They are pretty common in new building situations. It is the old towns with massive pavement systems that have the problems. Trees typically extend root systems to their drip line, and they accept water, air & minerals from inside that circle.
Try to apply the following standard to Chestertown.
In most cases, the Arborist only approves the planting of trees when there is a curbed roadway and a minimum five-foot wide planting strip.
Trees must be planted to the following standards:
3½ feet back from the face of the curb.
5feet from underground utility lines
10 feet from power poles (15 feet recommended)
7½ feet from driveways (10 feet recommended)
20 feet from street lights or other existing trees.
30 feet from street intersections.
When you look at a planting plan you see the architect has drawn in an expected branch spread and maybe an expected height. This is to avoid the constant pruning you see when mature trees push out against their city habitat. Then there are the underground considerations. Some tree species in every climate zone are rejected (banned) just because of their rood characteristics.
It is complicated!