That is beside the point though Not Sure. It is a good article. I am...
Between January 2007 and now, the village has taken down 899 trees. Let’s call it 900. This doesn’t count trees taken down on private property (the village has no way to track that), trees on park district land, or school district land. The village planted 1,127 trees in that same time frame. More trees going in than being taken out.
So what’s the problem?
Each mature tree does a couple key things for Downers Grove:
Trees reduce stormwater. They act as giant sponges that absorb 660 gallons of water in the first 24 hours of a rain event. Our 23,000 mature parkway trees absorb over 15 million gallons of initial rainfall.
Trees reduce energy bills. They provide 133 square feet of canopy coverage. That seemed like a small area until I was told that represents solid coverage. In real life, that canopy spreads over a much larger area, but it’s not a 100% solid canopy, and it doesn’t represent the crown volume, just the canopy top. Underneath a tree it’s a couple degrees cooler in the summer, and a couple degrees warmer in the winter. Properly placed trees can reduce summer cooling costs by as much as 30%.
Trees increase air quality. They sequester 48 pounds of carbon dioxide each year, enough to offset the amount produced by driving a car 26,000 miles. That same tree produces enough oxygen f in a season as 2 people inhale in a year.
Trees increase property values. Most studies say mature trees increase comparable home prices roughly 15%. Some developers claim that clear cutting reduces construction costs, but they ignore cost reductions that can be realized by preserving existing mature trees. What builder is against adding 15% to the value of a new home by not doing something?
The key word here is mature. A tree takes 20+ years to mature, and none of these benefits kick in until it is a mature tree. The 1,147 trees the village planted in the last two and a half years won’t “come on-line” until around 2027.
We’re going to lose our ash trees, too. Two years ago the village made the decision to take out approximately 4,100 ash trees from our public parkways over the next 5-10 years, about 18% of our total parkway tree inventory doomed by the Emerald Ash Borer.
The net result on paper will be that the village, since it is planting trees faster than they are being removed, is okay. The problem is, “trees-in/trees-out” is a false metric. It doesn’t accurately assess and address that the “trees-in” don’t come on-line for twenty years, and the “trees-out” immediately reduce the village benefits.
For a council and staff facing budget problems, and looking at being forced to raise taxes, this is a huge problem, and here’s why.
By 2017, if the village makes good on plans to aggressively address EAB, we will have lost 5,000 mature trees from the public parkways. Add in only the total of ash tree loss in Downers Grove, and we lose over 1,000,000 square feet of canopy coverage. That’s one million square feet of solid coverage; about 20 football fields of total shade stripped bare, needing more cooling, more energy use. Of course, trees aren’t solid, so the area effected is, in reality, much larger.
Back to just the 5,000 parkway trees. 120 tons of CO2 not sequestered. Oxygen for 10,000 people not produced. Home value growth, real estate tax growth, stunted. And that’s the minor impact to the village.
Those 5,000 trees? Where does the water go? each one sponges up 660 gallons in the first 24 hours of a rain event. that’s 3,300,000 gallons of water, or about 10.25 foot/acres of water looking for basements and back yards.
I did some math on Washington Park. Engineering, design, construction, interest and principal on the bonds, change orders (so far): it’s a $4.3 million dollar project that will hold 8.7 foot/acres of water.
$4.3 million to hold 8.7 foot/acres. By 2017, 10.25 foot/acres of additional water in the village with no place to go. And that’s not counting trees removed from park land, school land, and private property. We’re not running fast enough to stay on the treadmill, but we are creating the necessity of another big expensive water retention project to help stay even. Not to get ahead of the problem, just to tread water.
Flooding was a recurring issue in TCD3, and it’s been a recurring issue for many years. The village committed to an initial borrowing of $25 million to address stormwater issues, with plenty more to come. There’s talk of a stormwater tax to fund the improvements. But if we immediately build the problem back in right along with the solutions, we don’t move forward; we just spend a lot of money for things to seem to stay the same.
We do know some things for certain. No one wants to pay more taxes if they don’t have to. Paying more for the same apparent services is frustrating. Mature trees save money, now and in the future, whether they are on parkways, private property, parks, or by schools. They create higher real estate property values, in turn creating higher tax revenues. People have less issue with paying more if they get more, and trees get us more value for our homes.
In three weeks the final TCD3 report will be published. It’s already been talked over that the key outcome is a need for better communications, and neighborhood groups have been discussed as a mechanism for that better communication. That doesn’t seem to apply directly to this type of issue, but this issue is a critical lever in any new comprehensive village plan. In the village stats, the tree problem is being addressed; more trees are being planted than are being removed. In the real world, we still need a proper set of metrics so we can make accurate informed decisions about what we need to be doing. By the metrics of water absorption, carbon sequestration, energy costs, and oxygen production, we’re failing.
Mark:
I am having difficulty understanding what it is that you want the village to do? Not remove the Ash Trees? Risk loosing them all very rapidly if the Ash Bores decide Downers Grove is a nice place to live? Where’s the benefit in that? I think that is what you are infering. Am I correct?
Don’T get me wrong but I was hoping you could also provide a unique solution.
I fully understand and appreciate the premise from which you are coming but…
So, why are the removing trees?
How do you get $4,300,000 for the water detention at Washington Park. The mayor and someone else said $2,800,000 on the audio at the council meeting.
I assumed from the article that this was referring to the removal of trees beyond the Ash Trees. If it is just Ash Trees that are being removed, I agree with Mark – what option do we have?
I cannot remember from the meeting, but how many mature trees were removed for the Washington Park project?
Step One is to recognize there might be a problem.
I am poorly skilled when it comes to tree identification – are the trees around town marked with red dots Ashes to be removed?
IO-
The EAB is a reality. The village has taken a comprehensive look at the existing stormwater conditions, and at what needs to be done to fix the current problems. The village has not taken a comprehensive look at how it can mitigate inputs to the stormwater system to avoid repeating the same mistakes that created the current problems.
Kelly, Don’t remember..over a dozen. Patriot Park lost over 35 the previous year.
Grover, Aug 08′ cost estimate $1.8 million
Jan ‘09 V3 engineering $239K,
C. Burke for design $299K
Mar ‘09 Copenhaver construction $2,872,663.00
TIC on $2,300,000 in borrowing (bonds) ~$900,000
Change orders and amendments so far ~$80K
It isn’t cheap to fix, I’m all for it, I just don’t want to have to pay over and over to fix problems that keep getting built over and over. Doing the same thing and expecting different results is, what?
I suggest that the village look into passing along trees at cost to residents for use on the residential property. The real cost to the village is zero and the volume discount is passed on for residents for trees besides parkway trees. The entre village benefits from the storm water containment.
Face it the village and the park district may control more land than any two other land owners in town. However, the residential property acreage, is multiples that of these two entities. If we are going to wisely use trees to impact storm water, environmental concerns and real estate desirability, the best way to do that is plant as many trees in as many places as possible. There is only so much space on parkways. Let’s get the trees on the residential lots.
The American Chestnut Tree is in the news lately for its prolific ability to crack oxygen. This natural resource was nearly extinct due to the free lumber laws and blight. There are new blight resistant strains coming out. They grow tall and solid and work in our climate zone.
I enjoy a small lot with 100 year old house on a 50×135 lot. I have 10 trees on my lot. Placing the trees around the perimeter still leaves me plenty of open space for waffle ball. The shade in my back yard is perfect for outdoor summer parties. The trees also hid the ugly utility wires along the rear lot line.
google THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT FOUNDATION
too bad you don’t have to get a permit to plant a tree in this town…That way we could find out how many have been planted in the last few years? you know, new, fresh, young, vibrant trees. I am referring to private property. I do know the Village has taken down two dead trees on our street and have planted twice as many new ones.
Not all the trees taken down had capabilities of absorbing water…they were dead or dying or diseased, which would have spread to other live trees. How many trees were saved by knocking these diseased trees down?
I am not a tree specialist, I know only what I know from building a new house in this town, knocking down older, dead, diseased and garbage trees, and planting equal, smaller youthful trees. I learned trees and bushes are only meant to live so long ( at least that’s what the tree people think), and that at some point in the tree’s life, it is time for it to come down- due to its abilities to get diseased, crack rot etc etc……but hopefully plant a new one. Our town has a lot of old trees. I would think many are at the end of their life cycle. But then again, what is in the budget for planting new ones?
Sometimes trees are removed due to Mother Nature. There have been several trees in my neighborhood removed for three reasons.
1. The tree is dying or almost dead.
2. Strong winds blew down a significant portion of the tree, and the surviving portion probably wouldn’t survive more than a few years.
3. Freezing rain/ice brought down a significant portion of the tree.
I like Daley’s suggestion that the village to promote the planting of trees on private property. Maybe there could be information on the DG Web site explaining how to plant, where to plant and what sorts of trees do best/are most desirable? Also, a fact sheet about the benefits of mature trees, such as Thoman has outlined, to encourage homeowners to think twice before removing them.
I confess that we removed some trees after moving to our old home. One of them was dying and a few others were poorly situated right next to the house, the garage and another tree. It’s sometimes hard to picture how big the tiny sappling will be when it’s fully grown.
Clearly, planting today won’t help immediately, but that’s probably the best way to offset trees that are already gone.
As far as the trees that have been lost: DGDad points out that some need to be removed because they are dying/dead or poorly placed by nature (i.e. the catalpa growing smack next to my garage and the parkway walnut that dropped a big branch, barely missing the mailman).
I reported on reasons for tree removal at Hooper’s Hollow and Patriot’s Park here:
http://www.dgreport.com/index.php/2007/10/17/and-now-for-some-good-news/
http://www.dgreport.com/index.php/2008/04/17/patriot-games/
I would say our village has only a couple old trees. Sugar Maples live to be 300-400 years old. White Oaks routinely live 300+ years. My Magnolia will probably only live 150 years or so. Urban conditions shorten the life of trees, most notably with poor soils, root trauma (mainly soil compaction), and annual salt deposits. We have excellent soils here in DG, and we don’t use regular road salt in winter anymore, so we are very tree friendly.
Trees in the village don’t usually die a natural death, they are usually killed by damage to the root structure. That damage in construction projects can be minimized by cutting the root with a sharp saw; most big mature trees can survive if enough of the root structure is left undisturbed. Tearing or gouging away root structure usually kills them, although you don’t know it until a couple years later. Our Parkway Tree Protection Ordinance follows best practices, but we’ve had documented problems with contractors observing the requirements.
I see that I had blocked out such a large number…..My area has been under private and public construction for the last year and I have many beautiful trees removed and many other “doings” that effect the trees on the public and private areas around me, but I am at a loss as to what if anything I can do.
I have seen many removed….I have not removed any trees from my property but I have fought and lost against my neighbor who did remove trees.
An arborist acquaintance accurately predicted that all of the mature trees that were left intact at the Lee/Chicago development would be dead in 5 years. Take a look. Pretty sad.
Favorite DG tree? On Rogers just north of the Tiv. Colossal and it survives right next to the street.
I love that Rogers Street tree, too, donkey — in fact I’ve heard that it’s the oldest in DG.
A number of years ago (10 maybe 15?) Downers Grove was giving away trees (we got two). They were little more that a twig with a root, but now are nearly fifteen to twenty feet tall.
Hey is that tree by the theater listed in the huge trees of Illinois?? I think U of I has a registration online? Just wondering.
Public works was giving away trees at their open house earlier this summer. Evergreens in fact. They were little more than a single shoot with a root in a plastic bag. But they are growing in our yard!!!
The tree on Rogers (just across from that mess of a parking lot) is a Cottonwood tree and it is one of the oldest , if not the oldest tree in DG.
In a 2000 “Big Street Tree Contest” DG Forester von der Heide entered several notable and old trees.
That 75″ DBH Eastern Cottonwood Poplar won an award, nudging out a 72″ 250+ year old ash from Wilmette as the “Largest diameter tree in the contest.”
DG also won an award for a 32″ DBH Tuliptree, noted as “Being very large for a tree out of it’s native range.”, and also for a 32″ DBH Austrian Pine “Very large & healthy with no signs of wilt.”
In May 2009 Ms. von der Heide published an extensive breakout report on DG’s tree inventory, DOWNERS GROVE VILLAGE TREES, providing a wide range of data about our urban forest.
This type of data, while at first glance a bit of overkill, can be very informative to village policy regarding tree canopy, stormwater, energy conservation, and other budget/fiscal concerns.