Vandalized Trees Replaced by Local Businesses
By Doug Dalager
STOP sign symbolic of vandalism to trees along Hughitt & Broadway?
You may have read or heard that vandals destroyed fourteen trees recently planted by the City to replace some of the Ash trees removed as a result of the emerald ash borer infestation.
Over the July Fourth weekend, the newly planted trees were snapped in half by misguided celebrants (whose actions were more in line with April Fool’s Day than Independence Day).
According to Mary Morgan, City Director of Parks & Recreation, this is not the first time this has happened in our fair city, “three trees were snapped off on North 21st Street last year, and a couple of years before that, six or eight trees on North 12th Street were destroyed.”
This year the vandalism occurred in the area of North 12th Street and Hughitt Avenue. According to City officials, the destroyed trees were valued at $150 each, and had been planted earlier this year. Shortly after this unfortunate event occurred, the City was contacted by Superior Choice Credit Union, Positively Superior Magazine, and a third business that wished to remain anonymous, with a generous offer to replace the damaged trees. Each of these businesses donated $700, for a total joint donation of $2100.
Morgan said, “These two firms contacted me upon seeing the damaged trees, and promptly offered to help replace the trees for this neighborhood. City crews planted the donated trees, which include a variety of species.”
New tree plantings comprise 5-7 varieties matched to Superior’s climate and soil type
As previously reported by Explore Superior, the City of Superior is in the process of removing 3000 ash trees that have become infested by the emerald ash borer. To date, about half of the trees have been removed, and have been replaced by 550 new trees, according to Morgan.
The replacement trees planted along Hughitt Avenue were Honeylocust and Kentucky coffee trees. These were “container-grown” trees, not the bare root stock the City typically plants in the spring, giving these trees a “good start”, according to Morgan.
The City has also purchased Magnolia, Hackberry and Japanese Tree Lilac for fall planting. The City has chosen to plant a variety of trees so that in the event of future infestations of one type of tree or another, it will not be necessary to remove thousands of the same kind of trees at one time.
A “Street Tree Species List” was developed for the City with input from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Urban and Community Forestry Program, and from Dr. Laura Jull, Associate Professor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Horticulture. The trees chosen for the list were selected to match our planting zone (temperature) and the heavy clay soils of the area.
Morgan went on to say, “We have been purchasing 5-7 different species for each tree planting project in recent years in order to diversify the urban forest. I wouldn’t want a future City forester to have to suffer through the total loss of a single species such as elm or ash, as we did during the Dutch Elm crisis and the Emerald Ash Borer crisis that we are now experiencing.”
While it is disappointing to see mature trees removed, the City chose a proactive stance in order to stem the tide of the ash infestation, and move forward with new plantings. Morgan said, that “trees improve property values, help to reduce stormwater flow, filter pollutants, and harbor habitat.” She also encourages the public to report any tampering with trees to 911, and assures the public that the City will aggressively seek repayment for the destroyed trees should the police department identify the vandals in question.
Please report any information leading to the arrest of the vandals by calling 911 or the Superior Police tip line at (715) 395-7468. Follow THIS LINK to submit an anonymous tip to the Superior Police Department via their Facebook page.
For more information about the Superior Tree program, follow this link to “What is an Urban Forest” on the City website. A detailed description of the trees chosen for the ash replacement program can by found HERE.
The City’s Tribute Tree Program is a wonderful way for a person or organization to give a lasting, living gift in memory of someone or something, and beautifies our City at the same time.
For more on the emerald ash borer removal program, follow this link.
