|
Lake Absarraca
Photo: Cheyenne Urban Forestry
Mission
and Scope of Work - Cheyenne Urban Forestry Division
VISION:
Every feasible planting space in Cheyenne
occupied by a suitable and thriving tree of good health and
safe structure.
MISSION:
Dedicated to improving the urban forest by: Working
with citizens, businesses, government agencies and tree care
professionals in maintaining and renewing a safe, healthy, and
diverse mature tree canopy to enhance the beauty and prosperity
of the community.
Our
Definition of an Urban Forest: The relationship of all trees
and woody shrubs existing, alive or dead, within an area developed,
lived in, worked in, and managed, by people.
SCOPE
OF FORESTRY DIVISION'S MISSION:
-
Providing educational opportunities and information
to citizens and professional tree care personnel.
-
Leading by example in tree planting, and overall tree care
on city owned and maintained lands.
-
Through research and experimentation plant a wide variety
of tree species that are able to grow in this planting zone.
-
Working with architects, planners, developers, governing
body, business owners, and citizens to design and incorporate ideal
tree planting
locations and species along new and existing city streets.
-
Minimize public right-of-way safety concerns caused by trees
and shrubs.
-
Monitor
tree mortality causing insect and disease threats with inspection,
action, and follow-up.
GOALS
FOR TREES IN CITY MAINTAINED AREAS:
-
Perform a whole system tree
evaluation to determine: the different tree species
and percent of whole, health, safety, insect and disease problems,
and available planting spaces. (Overall
tree evaluation Completed 2004)
-
Attain a tree replacement to removal ratio of 5 to 1. (Ongoing
goal)
-
Attain an overall tree species mix not to exceed 10% of
total for any one species. (Ongoing
process that will take many years)
-
Determine the best watering and fertilizing regime for each
species and area to attain the best tree health without
application of pesticides. (Ongoing)
-
Research and develop maintenance methods to maximize tree
growth and longevity for this area. (Ongoing)
-
Reduce
the use of treated water for watering trees. The Board
of Public Utilities (water department) has installed
pipe for reuse water delivery to some park areas, cemeteries,
some athletic fields, and a golf course. The line went into
service Summer of 2007. We also draft untreated water out
of Lake Absarraca.
-
-
Restore
and maintain living tree and shrub specimens at the High
Plains Arboretum. The City of Cheyenne assumed maintenance
of the historic Arboretum at the USDA
Agricultural Research Service - High Plains Grasslands Research
Station west of F.E. Warren Air Base, on July 1, 2008.
The City Forestry Division along with the Cheyenne Botanic
Gardens Division, Cheyenne Parks Division, and other city
departments, maintain this 137 acre Arboretum, Reservoir,
and Park area. More information on the arboretum is on the
Cheyenne
Botanic Gardens Website.
-
Find
ways to keep beetle infested trees, removed commercially
and privately, out of the landfill. The
compost facility is able to chip logs up to 17 inches in
diameter and cut into sections 4 to 5 feet long. The forestry
division peels the bark off of larger diameter tree trunks
using a chainsaw powered bark peeler. Peeled logs are sold
to the highest bidder.
Cheyenne
Urban Forestry Division - 2008
The Urban Forestry Division is responsible
for the development and maintenance of trees, shrubs, vines,
and hedges, on all City of Cheyenne public properties. Tree
maintenance on street right-of-ways is the responsibility of
the abutting homeowner or business. However, the property owner
must consult with the City Forester and acquire a permit before
any right-of-way tree trimming, planting, or removal is conducted.
•
Forestry Personnel: The forestry division
consists of nine full-time employees. Two of the nine are professional
foresters, with six full-time arborists, and one office manager.
Six of the full-time forestry division professionals and
arborists are International
Society of Arboriculture - Certified Arborists. The
six arborists (four are Certified Arborists, two in training),
are the employees doing the hands-on tree work in the areas
maintained by the city.
•
Cheyenne's Trees: The Forestry Division maintains over 13,800
trees in city parks, golf courses, cemeteries, ball fields,
including more than 850 trees found along the Greenway. There
are over 3100 trees that require hand watering, trees that are
not located in automated irrigation areas. Included in the 3100
hand-watered trees total, there are 1200 evergreen trees that
require hand watering in winter during dry spells.
In 2008, the City of Cheyenne assumed maintenance responsibility
for 137 acres of land including the High
Plains Arboretum (a living tree museum), a reservoir,
and adjacent park area, all formerly a part of the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service
- High Plains Grasslands Research Station. The Research Station
is located on the west side of F.E. Warren Air Force Base off
of Roundtop Road. The 62 acre High Plains Arboretum area has
many tree species that were planted from the late 1920's through
the mid 1970's as part of woody vegetation research for the
High Plains. The 62 acre arboretum area and several hundred
trees are now under the maintenance of the City of Cheyenne
Parks and Recreation Department as well as several hundred other
trees around the reservoir and the adjacent park area.
• 2008
Awards:
- Cheyenne
has achieved "Tree City USA" by the National
Arbor Day Foundation for 26
consecutive years. Cheyenne is the oldest Tree City
USA community
in Wyoming.
-
In 2008 Cheyenne Urban Forestry received the International Society
of Arboriculture Rocky Mountain Chapter "Gold
Leaf Award"
for an outstanding
Arbor Day Program. The Rocky Mountain Chapter serves Montana,
Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.
- Laramie County Conservation District
- "Conservation Partner Award" to Lisa Olson
(Cheyenne Director of Forestry) for outstanding support
of local
conservation.
- Society
of Municipal Arborists - Awarded Lisa Olson a Forester Exchange
Grant to visit the Forestry Program in Ljubljana, Slovenia in
June 2008 with
the City Forester of Ljubljana, Slovenia, Dr. Lena Marion, visiting
Cheyenne in August 2008.
- Partnership
with Cheyenne Light, Fuel, & Power to plant trees at Goins
Elementary School
- Partnership
with National Arbor Day Foundation, Home Depot and Lebhart Elementary
School to plant trees at the school under the "Trees
for Success"
program.
•
Right-of-way Tree Inspections: The Urban Forestry Division
inspects trees along the public right-of-ways (i.e., streets,
alleys and sidewalks), and notifies property owners about vegetative
concerns. In 2008, 230 code violation notices were
sent to property owners regarding visibility obstructions, tree
and shrub limbs growing into public right-of-way use areas (i.e.,
streets, sidewalks, and alleys), tree mortality causing insect
infestations, and private property trees and shrubs posing a
danger to the safe use of the public right-of-ways. Ordinance
info.
•
Landscape Plan Review:
The forestry division reviews landscape plans for new
commercial development and change-of-use or expansion-of-use
for commercial properties inside city limits. In 2008
we reviewed 99 site plans compared to 113 in 2007, 79
plans reviewed in 2006, 71 plans in 2005, 58 plans
in 2004, and 46 plans in 2003. The Cheyenne Development
Office oversees the landscape portion of the zoning ordinance
which develops and regulates requirements for commercial development.
The landscaping requirements for development are found
in the zoning section, Chapter 17, of the city
code.
•
Education: In 2008, over 450 elementary, home-school,
and private school students, parents, and teachers participated
in guided Lions Park tree walks which included the use of the
Nature Center and the Tree
House.
•
Citizen Assistance: Cheyenne Urban Forestry Division receives
over 1300 calls per year with citizens asking questions
about their personal trees. Cheyenne Forestry personnel inspected
180 private properties, upon the request of the property
owner, regarding tree problems. The number of private property
inspections concerning tree problems has decreased over the
years due to a higher number of citizens using this Website
to answer their questions about their tree problems.
•
Website: This Website, updated by the Cheyenne Urban Forestry
Division, had 61,890 visits in 2008. A few site
visitors (28), from all over the US, have sent e-mail questions
about tree problems, sometimes photos of tree problems are included
with the e-mail.
•
Commercial Arborists: The Urban Forestry Division is responsible
for licensing and regulating the work of commercial arborists
and pesticide applicators within the City of Cheyenne. Current
list of licensed arborists.
• Cheyenne Service Request Program: In 2007, the City
of Cheyenne implemented a citizen Service
Request program. Via the Internet, this program allows
citizens to voice their concerns and point out problems to City
of Cheyenne employees. In 2008 the Forestry Division received
15 requests from citizens to help solve a tree or shrub
related problem.
•
Youth Alternatives: The Cheyenne
Urban Forestry Division works with Cheyenne
Youth Alternatives in assisting youth in need of community
service. Each year, several youth work with the forestry division
crew in helping our trees grow.
2008 Summary of Tree Maintenance
(Parks,
golf courses, cemeteries, High Plains Arboretum, city buildings,
other city property)
- Trees
Removed: 267
Most trees (172 in 2008) that were
removed was due to decay, wind damage, winter desiccation,
drought, disease, lightning, vehicle damage, and vandalism.
Many of the removals this year were trees that had been
killed by bark beetles. Drought stressed trees are
an easy target for insects and disease, which can be the
final cause in killing the trees. Ips
bark beetle, and Mountain
Pine Beetle, are very small insects, which in high
numbers, attacked and killed 95 large spruce trees
and pine trees. Forestry removes the bark off of beetle
killed pine and spruce trees, prior to storing the trunks.
We use two chain saw powered bark peelers to remove the
bark. Bark removal is required to keep the bark beetles
from emerging out of infested trees and attacking other
living trees.
None of the wood debris generated from tree removal or pruning,
done by City Forestry in 2008, went into the city landfill
or was shipped to any other landfills.
- Trees
Pruned: 1,554
Larger park trees are generally pruned
in the dormant season, November through March. Smaller
trees are pruned year-round. Many smaller trees in
unirrigated areas are pruned while they are being hand-watered
during the summer months.
Pruning small trees, 58% of the 1,554 total number in 2008,
allows us to direct the growth of the tree as it matures.
We remove small poorly positioned branches, which
affect the growth of more desirable branches. Tree
care industry guidelines recommend pruning every other year
on newly planted trees beginning a year after planting and
continuing for six years. Pruning in larger trees
primarily removes dead, broken, or weak branches. Squirrels
feeding on the high food value layers of cells under the
bark in smaller branches causes significant die-back in
many larger trees. Smaller limb die-back, if severe
enough, causes larger limb die-back. We have had to
remove many large trees due to repetitive and heavy squirrel
damage. Squirrels can kill trees!
- Trees
Planted: 884 For
every tree removed we planted 3 trees.
New trees purchased and planted - 827
Trees transplanted from city maintained tree nurseries -
57
Over 300 trees exist in various tree nurseries and
are maintained by this division. As the trees mature,
they are transplanted into the parks, golf courses,
ballfields, cemeteries, and the Greenway using a 44-inch
diameter, trailer mounted, hydraulic tree spade.
- Trees
Damaged: 14 (Damage
caused by humans - vandalism and vehicle damage)
Using an internationally recognized formula
to determine tree value, the dollar value of trees vandalized
or damaged by vehicles that required removal was $5,195.
-
Tree
Watering Events: 12,724 (Each
time a tree is watered during the year, is a watering
event)
Calendar year 2008 was a near normal precipitation year
at .19 inches below normal.
Calendar year 2007, was also a near normal precipitation
year, .61 inches below normal.
A normal year is 15.45 inches of precipitation.
Two consecutive years of near normal precipitation certainly
benefits all plants. However, snow fall was 17 inches
below normal for the 2007-2008 winter season with the
2008-2009 winter season also starting out below normal
for snowfall. Lower snowfall amounts indicates higher
rainfall amounts during the growing season. Large amounts
of rainfall in a short period of time will have a high
percentage of water runoff that does not soak into the
soil.
Trees watered by hand are mainly located in non-irrigated
areas, including the Greenway, North Cheyenne Community
Park, Downtown core area, and parts of Lions Park.
All conifer trees (e.g., pine, spruce, fir and
juniper) require supplemental hand watering water during
the late fall and winter. The amount of water used in
2008 for hand watering trees was 1.53 acre feet
or 498,125 gallons. An acre foot of water
is the amount of water needed to cover one acre (43,560
square feet) to a depth of one foot of water, 325,851
gallons. Most of the water used to water the trees,
80%, was taken out of Absarraca Lake, which is untreated
water, also known as raw water. We recycled 14,000
gallons of de-chlorinated water out of Johnson Pool at
the end of summer.
Drafting water out of Absarraca
Lake into a 350-gallon water tank, for hand watering trees.
The tank is hauled in the bed of a one-ton pickup
truck or dump truck. Nine trees can be watered with
each full tank of water. Depending on the distance
from the lake to the trees, 6
to 10 tanks of water can be filled each day, watering
54 to 90 trees per day per vehicle. We have 6 tanks,
350 gallons each, for hauling water. We also have
a 4500 gallon tanker that we use to flood irrigate trees
and to water 500+ trees in the Downtown Development Authority
(DDA) area. The tanker is also used as a "reservoir
on wheels" to supply water for several 350 gallon/pickup
truck units working in the same area.
-
Special
Projects:
Landscaping,
and tree work for city projects along city streets - 500
personnel hours.
- Western Hills Park:
installing weed barrier fabric & edging, planting
trees & shrubs, mulching with 50 cubic yards of wood
chips.
- Buffalo Soldier triangle park: installing weed barrier
fabric, planting trees & shrubs, mulching with wood
chips and rock.
- Assist Windsor Colorado in cleanup after devastating
tornado in May 2008.
- Law & Liberty display in Lions Park: Soil work,
fabric and edging installation, tree & shrub planting,
rock mulching.
- Pruning and removing trees and shrubs in the public
right-of-way for: Installation of sewer lines, ADA
accessible sidewalks, curb and gutter replacement,
and storm water drainage conflicts.
- DDA area of downtown Cheyenne: restore tree lawn landscape
with weed barrier fabric and rock mulch along Warren Ave.
north of Lincolnway, and
on Bent Ave. between W. 19th and W. 20th Streets.
Chart
of Forestry Division Crew Activities 2001 - 2008
- Park
Tree Inventory and Evaluation
A good informational Website on the value of trees is: Colorado
Tree Coalition.
Tree
Maintenance Photos
Ips bark beetles and
drought led to the removal of this spruce tree in
the cemetery.
|
44-inch diameter hydraulic
tree spade in position
to plant a tree.
|
Using
a crane to place a larger blue spruce in the Depot Plaza
Most of our tree pruning is
done during the late fall and winter months for the following
reasons:
- We can drive large maintenance vehicles on the frozen soil
with little damage to the grass and soil.
- There is less chance of spreading tree diseases during the
winter months.
- There is less chance of insects being attracted to the pruning
wounds.
- Without leaves the overall structure of the tree and problem
limbs are easily seen.
- It is safer to do tree maintenance with fewer park visitors.
Initial
tree decline is usually due to drought or root damage, culminating
in the final blow of insect or disease attack causing tree
mortality. Trees left standing in poor health are open
to insect attack, which increases the chance of mortality
causing insects increasing in population. In mass, insects
can successfully attack healthy trees. Spruce Ips bark
beetles typically cause tree mortality beginning at the top
of the tree and moving downward. All spruce trees in
the cemeteries were sprayed in late Summer 2006, Spring 2007,
Spring 2008 and will be sprayed again in Spring 2009.
Fast growing
trees, such as cottonwoods, silver maples, boxelders, willows,
and Siberian elms, usually equate to weak-wooded trees. The
life expectancy of these fast growing trees is usually 40 to
80 years in an urban setting. Weak-wooded trees are more susceptible
to wood decay than most other slower growing trees. Wood decay
can cause a tree to be hazardous. Wind, snow load, or even water
saturation from rain can cause a decaying limb with or an entire
tree with decay to structurally fail. Frequently, there is no
outward indication of interior wood decay. If outward indications
of wood decay are present, the extent of the decay and how it
affects the structure of the tree is unknown. Sometimes decay
and structurally weakening is fairly obvious such as in the
cottonwood tree below. The photos below are before and after
pictures of a cottonwood tree that was removed in Holliday Park
in January of 1998.
Cheyenne
Community Forestry Committee
The Cheyenne
Community Forestry Committee (CCFC) was formed in January
2007. A resolution authorizing creation of the Cheyenne Community
Forestry Committee (resolution #4932) was signed by Mayor
Jack Spiker on April 9, 2007.
See a copy of the By-Laws.
The
mission statement of the Committee is:
"The Community Forestry Committee recognizes that trees
are vital to the health and well-being of our community. The
Committee is dedicated to the preservation, protection, and
enhancement of our community forest through professional efforts
in planning, planting and the maintenance of trees for the
enrichment of our residents and future generations to come.
The Committee will strive to build an effective and positive
partnership among citizens, industry, local government, schools
and volunteers."
Drought and Trees
brochure developed by the CCFC
The Committee
members are:
Don Bainter
Clint Bassett - Vice Chairperson
Jim Cochran
Salli Halpern
Jim Lambert - Secretary
Jeff Marsolek
Diane McKillip
Robert Means
Steve Roseberry - Chairperson
Lisa Olson
|
