MORGANTOWN TREE BOARD
Annual Report 2001

THE NEED FOR TREES IN CITIES

Street and park trees in the urban and suburban environments contribute significant benefits to a City's livability. Trees cool and clean the air, reduce noise, reduce water runoff, provide buffers between streets and houses, provide homes for wildlife, and generally improve the quality of life of the people. Documented benefits include: reduced heating and cooling costs, increased property values, increased economic stability and activity, improved soil retention and fertility, and an improved sense of community pride. A City's trees are thus important assets and require care and maintenance just like the other public infrastructure (roads, sewers, and public buildings). All said, City Council felt the need to preserve its City trees. To achieve its objective it created a Tree Board in 1998, to assist the City Manager in administering the City Tree and Shrub Ordinance.

The Tree Board is a enthusiastic group of volunteers dedicated to the care of the City trees and greenways. Fifteen individuals comprise the active Board. Chair of the group is Jonathan Cumming.

As an overarching goal, the Morgantown Tree Board (MTB) works to replace, increase, improve, and diversify Morgantown's urban forest. To achieve this goal, the MTB has been working with City agencies and citizens to improve awareness and appreciation of the benefits of Morgantown's street and park trees.

The Morgantown Tree Board continued several activities in 2001 and also facilitated new initiatives involving trees in the public domain.

CONTINUING ACTIVITIES

• Demonstration City Grants. To support its activities, the Tree Board applies to the West Virginia Division of Forestry's Demonstration City Grant Program. Funds from this program in 2000/2001 ($5000 State, $5000 City match) were used to implement a Street Tree Inventory, support the City's Arbor Day Celebration, and purchase trees to plant in Morgantown. The Demonstration City Grant application was also successful for 2001/2002 ($5000 State, $5000 City match), and this will again provide funding to continue the Street Tree Inventory, support the City's Arbor Day Celebration, and purchase trees to plant in Morgantown.


• In 2001, the Board additionally applied for Title VIII Funds to support the sidewalk, curb work with trees, grates and soil amendments on Beechurst Avenue. This proposal was not funded.


• Arbor Day Celebration. Spearheaded by Brent Bailey, Arbor Day festivities and tree plantings were held on April 21, 2001. The Observance of Arbor Day included speeches by Mayor Scafella, representatives from Allegheny Power Company, and tree experts from the State Division of Forestry and West Virginia University. Following the awarding of Morgantown's Tree City USA award, citizens from the Evansdale neighborhood helped Board members plant 21 trees into tree lawns lining their streets. As part of the program the citizens agreed to continue to help by agreeing to water the trees planted in front of their houses.


• Hazard Tree Assessments. Board members are called on by the Streets Department to assess the hazard potential of trees in the City rights-of-way. This year, 47 trees were visited and inspected by the volunteers. Reports from these inspections are filed with the Morgantown Streets Department.


• Consulting with City Agencies. In addition to performing hazard tree assessments, the Tree Board works with other City agencies when requested. In 2001, the Board worked with BOPARC and donors, implementing significant tree plantings along the rail trail (52 trees).


• Public Domain Tree Maintenance. Members of the Tree Board set aside two working days per year to prune and mulch previous Arbor Day project trees. In addition, replacement trees are ordered and installed when planting fails. Board members regularly remove suckers from Downtown trees and work on trees in others public spaces (minor pruning, grate removal, and mulching). These activities are designed to foster tree establishment and health.


• Public Assistance. The Tree Board often receives calls directed from City Hall concerning tree issues. While not necessarily related to public tree issues, members of the Tree Board return calls and visit people who have concerns about their trees. In 2001, consultations took place with citizens on Elm Street, Park Street, Madigan Avenue, Grand Street, and Euclid Street. In addition, the MTB aided in site selection and planting of an Eisenhower Ash Tree in Jack Roberts Park with the local Veterans of Foreign Wars. Consultations were also made with Panera Bakery and Bob Evans Restaurants.


• Replacement of Trees. Survival of trees planted in urban environments is limited. In an effort to maintain the integrity of various plantings that the Board has undertaken, the Board recognizes that a portion of trees planted will need to be replaced. In 2001, the Board removed and replaced trees from previous Arbor Day activities that did not survive, including sites at Krepp's Park (1 tree), Mountainview Elementary (2 trees), Evansdale Neighborhood (3 trees), and Grand Street (1 tree).

NEW INITIATIVES

• Street Tree Inventory. Critical to the management of the City's trees, an inventory of tree locations, tree hazard status, and potential planting spaces is being supported by the Demonstration City Grant. While organized by the Tree Board, the actual inventory is undertaken by ACRT, Inc., a private forestry-consulting firm from Cuyahoga Falls, OH. To date, First and Second Wards have been assessed, with Third and Fourth to occur in the Spring of 2002. This inventory is maintained in a program that is compatible with the GIS computer software.
• Municipal Tree Restoration Program (MTRP). Allegheny Power provides electrical service to the greater Morgantown Area. One ongoing cost and potential conflict with the power service are poorly selected street trees that grow into overhead utilities. Working with the Tree Board, Allegheny Power implemented the MTRP in Morgantown in 2001. The goal of this program is to supply local tree commissions/boards with funds to replant appropriate tree species under utilities after inappropriate trees are removed. This year, Allegheny Power allocated $6,000 to the Tree Board to oversee this program. The Tree Board facilitated the planting of 41 trees into First and Second Wards. This program will continue into other City wards in the future. To help facilitate this program the City purchased a stump grinder to be utilized by the Street Department in stump removal. This allows for new planting soon after the tree is removed.
• Donors and Memorial Tree Plantings. The year 2001 saw, for the first time for the Tree Board, private donors working with the City and the Board to plant memorial trees in the City public spaces. Included are 46 trees in memory of Geri Roh, 6 trees in memory of those affected by the events of September 11, 2001, and 1 tree in memory of Jason Hayduk.


• Maintenance of Downtown Trees. In 2001, the Board worked with Main Street Morgantown to establish high quality pruning care for the street trees in Downtown Morgantown. Supervision of arborist selection was assumed by the Board and goals for clearance were established to reduce vandalism while at the same time maintaining the structural integrity of the trees. Pruning is ongoing. To initiate the program an inventory was compiled on location and the condition of every tree.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Park Assessment and Hazard Removals. The public parks in Morgantown are plagued with many of the same problems as the street trees. Many were planted (or were wild native trees) in the 1940's. As a result, many of these trees are senescent and are significant hazards to parkgoers. In 2001, the Board started an assessment of trees in the most public areas of the parks. Jack Roberts Park was first, and seven older dangerous trees have been identified and are scheduled for removal in the winter of 2001/2002. These losses are, of course, offset by recent plantings in the park by the Board.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Utility Line Clearance and the Public. In an effort to improve relations between Allegheny Power and the citizens of Morgantown, the Board met with foresters from Allegheny Power to establish guidelines and procedures for clearance trimming in 2001. In addition, the Board and Allegheny Power together adopted a full-page ad that ran in the Dominion Post outlining these goals and the schedule for line trimming. Citizens were contacted about specific tree removal and subsequent replanting. A list of appropriate trees for street planting was compiled and was used to work with citizens in replanting options. No complaints were registered with the City concerning line clearance trimming in 2001.
• The Tree Board cosponsored a National Arbor Day Foundation "Hazard Trees" Seminar on May 17th. This seminar was open to individuals and organizations throughout the eastern United States. Over 100 participants attended the training session held in Morgantown.
• The Tree Board also cosponsored the WV Urban and Community Forestry Council Annual Meeting on June 20th, 2001, at the Public Safety Building. This meeting included a tour of Morgantown's residential area tree planting programs, the Krepps Park and an assessment of current tree plantings and soils conditions at South University Park. Speakers included Mr. Richard Warnike (ISA Consulting Arborist), Mr. Chuck Anderson of Allegheny Power, Greg Good, Dr. William MacDonald, and Kasey Russell, Chair.

FUTURE INITIATIVES

The Board will continue its efforts to educate and enlighten all on the benefits of trees. It will continue and expand its programs to advance its goals in caring for the City's greenspace.