Yellow Springs, Ohio, has been considering the best replacement trees on a street where power lines are being buried and the existing Bradford pear tree roots will be cut. The Bradford pear trees are already severely topped to keep them from impacting the power lines they are under, and the trees are about 35 years old. “Even if you leave them in [after the sidewalk construction], you’re going to lose them in a year or two anyway,” said urban forester Wendi Ban Buren. Burying the lines will allow newly planted trees to grow to their natural height without the need for topping.
Bradford pear trees are no longer recommended as a landscaping choice, so the discussion has centered on what other choices are good for street trees. Native trees have been considered, but they usually do better with space to grow their roots, rich soil, and plenty of water. Instead, street trees need to be able to survive in a 5 x 5 foot tree pit, have deep root systems to keep from impacting nearby foundations, and be fruitless. Thornless honey locust, male gingko, berryless sweet gum, state street maple, lace bark elm, columnar oaks, linden, London plane, and red spire pear are all possible options.
Yellow Springs has no formal landscaping plan, so it needs to work with the Yellow Springs Tree Committee, which has planted 2000 trees on public property in the last 30 years. Village Manager Laura Curliss is working to establish a working relationship with the Tree Committee. ‘I’d like to work with the Tree Committee on a placement plan for trees in the future,” said Curliss.