Does the City of Spokane hate big trees? That's what the Spokane Preservation Advocates thinks. They say Spokane city policies are encouraging small trees along city streets at the expense of big ones.City officials argue they're trying to solve problems created by large trees in small spaces, not forgoing large trees altogether.
Now, an 'urban forestry expert' from Utah has been invited to speak on the subject. Here's the story from the Spokesman-Review.
I can see both sides of this debate, and have several times here locally. Everyone loves big trees and the environment they create, but can we justify spending thousands, even millions, of dollars to re-construct a street, only to have tree roots destroy sections of it just a few years later? Touchy subject I know, but what are your thoughts?
2 comments:
BIG GIANT TREES are fantastic!!! If communities make periodic green spaces a priority in their planning, huge trees can be seemingly everywhere. They just are about 10 to 15 feet from curbs so they don't interfere with pavement. Here, in a smaller Western WA community, there seems to be many areas where trees are welcome. They just aren't in grass strips next to the road, ripping up the side walks as much as I remember in Spokane.
That's the problem with Spokane's tree situation. Large trees were planted about a hundred years ago in three-foot planting strips in many areas. Now that the trees are mature, they're tearing up the roads. They look beautiful though and keep neighborhoods cool, so it's a shame to remove them, but definetely a dilemma.
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