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| Photo: Timothy O'Connor |
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| Photo: Timothy O'Connor |
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| Photo: Timothy O'Connor |
At the CAC's January meeting, CAC member Dale Schafer proposed a plan for interplanting new trees, of different species, along Front Street.
COPYRIGHT 2017 CAROLE OSTERINK
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Help for the Beleaguered Ash Trees
As Gossips has been reporting since April 2013, the deadly emerald ash borer is active in our region, and the vast majority of the ash trees in Hudson--nineteen in all--are located along Front Street, planted as an exclusive species during Urban Renewal in the early 1970s. In 2013, the insects presented a threat; today, they are a reality. These photographs, taken in May 2016, show evidence of the presence of the emerald ash borer on a particular tree and its effect on the health and vitality of the tree.
Last night, at the informal meeting of the Common Council, a resolution was introduced to approve and endorse the Conservation Advisory Council's application for a DEC Urban and Community Forestry Grant for up to $25,000 "to do whatever is possible to prolong the life of those [nineteen ash] trees, as well as planting additional trees on Front Street, in spaces where tree are missing now, so that when the ash trees eventually die, the street will not be left without trees."
At the CAC's January meeting, CAC member Dale Schafer proposed a plan for interplanting new trees, of different species, along Front Street.
The large brown dots in the image above represent the existing ash trees. The smaller dots--some yellow, some red--indicate the placement of new trees. (Click on the image to enlarge it, and you should be able to see those smaller dots.)
COPYRIGHT 2017 CAROLE OSTERINK
At the CAC's January meeting, CAC member Dale Schafer proposed a plan for interplanting new trees, of different species, along Front Street.
COPYRIGHT 2017 CAROLE OSTERINK
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ReplyDeleteThere are way more than 19 ash trees in Hudson!
ReplyDeleteWhat's bizarre about the City's approach to this problem is that it only considers privately-owned trees. The ash trees actually owned by the City are never included in the tally.
There are 10 ash trees in the "Amtrak parking lot" alone, which is a City-owned property not included in the grant application. Ash is the only species in the lot, and every one of them is host to the EAB. In five years that parking lot will be shade free, totally empty of trees.
So why does the application for the grant specify Front Street only? Is there flexibility in this grant to replace stricken trees on City property too?
We've been repeating all of the above for a year, but to no avail (not even a reply).
To be kind, I think that someone got the number "19" stuck in their heads and simply can't revise their incomplete information.
Q: Who in City government can identify an ash tree?
Heard you the first time!
ReplyDeleteAs Carol pointed out not long ago, the CAC was working from the 2007 tree inventory which apparently only listed "street trees" thus overlooking the trees at Amtrak. We are aware of them and will be able to include them in the project description in the grant application. We just neglected to include them in the resolution to authorize the grant which was presented last night. The amount we apply for can stay the same and some of the money destined for new trees be shifted. There is an additional funding source for the new trees, to make up the difference.
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DeleteThanks. I didn't know anyone had heard the first, second, third or fourth times .... It's exceedingly difficult to know when one's been heard, but that's a problem everywhere and not just in Hudson.
DeleteIn the past we've seen the Common Council ratify poorly-worded laws and grant applications, and these invariably led to trouble (again, Hudson is not unique). But if there's leeway in this grant to look after City-owned trees in addition to the private trees on Front Street, then I'm satisfied at long last.
Again, thanks for the clarification.
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ReplyDeleteTimothy,
ReplyDeleteYou could have just asked me in person no? It is not as though you don't have my email. CAC has been WELL aware of the ash trees at the Amtrak, and so many other ones around Hudson,(yes actually 3 of us on the CAC are very good at identifying thank you), but we decided, (over a year ago), to only focus on the ones on the 2007 Tree Inventory, as that was the only inventory we had, and as a young CAC, we agreed that until we had a new updated inventory made, that would be our focus. We also decided that in the meantime the ash trees are dying and if we could begin to at least treat some of the more prominent ones, while we get the rest of our street tree guidelines, tree ordinance and an updated inventory addressed, it would be a good thing. That process may take years. If you had been at the CAC meetings where we discussed this or even ventured to have a conversation with me, you would not have had to resort to insulting us on this blog, which never is very productive for anyone. As Jonathan said above, we had been considering adding the Amtrak Ash trees into this for some time now. But we are not sure if that will be feasible for this particular grant. If you want to know more about this you know how to reach me.
As your Chairman pointed out, the terms of the application are flexible enough that doing something with the trees in the Amtrak parking lot is not out of the question. Not that anyone asked, but I'd say replacing them is the best idea.
DeleteI always thought it was unwise to limit ourselves to the 2007 tree inventory, and I said as much at the time. If we have people who can identify trees, then why not use them? Why shackle ourselves to substandard products of the past? (A: because that's what governments do.)
I was present at CAC meetings where plans to deal with EAB were discussed, but no ever answered my observation about the parking lot trees. Not to me anyway. You do know that CAC members are also free to approach involved residents, right? It's not just a one-way street.
I was talking about the Amtrak parking lot around the time, last spring, when that woman from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation gave us that idiotic reply about the distortions in the D-shaped EAB exit holes. I've heard very little on the topic since, but then you were out of commission most of the summer.