Finding the Tree Within
Trained Tree Team volunteers are out this October pruning younger street trees in the Concordia neighborhood. You may spot us wearing yellow vests with tools pointing, staring and talking about the cuts we want to make. But why are we doing this?
Street trees make up the majority of our urban canopy and are a vital contributor to human health and well being. Our mandate is to help these trees stay healthy in the challenging spaces they live in. This means clearing branches that are in the way of traffic and pedestrians, removing unhealthy limbs and helping guide the future shape of the tree so it thrives.
Here are a few photos to illustrate how we find the best street “tree within” through pruning:
Removing branches over the street and the sidewalk: (Legal clearances are 7.5’ above sidewalk and 11’ above street).
Here is that Cascara before and after pruning for clearance and removing suckers:
And then a challenge – a Persian ironwood that started as a shrub until competing stems were removed to reveal a tree form!
And last, a special case, a Japanese maple that had 2 kinds of leaves – small and larger – where the smaller ones are the desired ones.
And big limbs needed to be removed to reveal the intended tree.
Want to join the pruning crew? Contact us here!
Want more info on Street Tree Care? Check out Urban Forestry’s online resources: https://www.portland.gov/trees/tree-care-and-resources