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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2015)
20 Wednesday, June 17, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon TREES: Some older trees are showing signs of stress Continued from page 3 of trees is impeded due to lack of nutrients that come from the natural breakdown of those materials,” Moyer explained. He went on to note that removal of all natural vegeta- tion such as rabbitbrush, bit- terbrush and sagebrush elim- inates important habitat for birds, butterflies, bees, and small animals. Lack of veg- etation gives rise to erosion conditions with heavy rain as well as the infestation of invasive cheat grass, which takes over such cleared areas. Because the health of all the trees on City property is under the purview of the Urban Forestry Board, what happens to the land around those trees is also under their advisement. Recently contracted urban forester Dan Galecki dis- cussed the scope of his work with the board at their June 10 meeting. His business is Spindrift Forestry Consulting in Bend. He received his degree in Wisconsin and has lived in Bend for eight years. His first task will be to inventory and map all signif- icant trees (eight inches and greater in diameter) on City property and right-of-ways in the downtown core and city parks in order to make a work plan and establish a budget for maintenance of the trees. He will be noting par- ticular attributes of the trees including their height, diameter, condition and spe- cies. The trees in the down- town core (Pine to Larch and Washington to Adams) were chosen first due to the amount of construction dis- turbance they have expe- rienced recently and the number of people traveling through the core. The trees in the campground are par- ticularly a matter of public safety, and he has already spent time assessing most of them. Safety of people, struc- tures and utilities is the number-one priority when assessing any given tree. For example, in the campground there are several “widow- makers” which need atten- tion. A widow-maker is a tree that has some kind of debris sitting in it, like a weak or dead branch, loose limbs that are lying across healthy branches, wind breakage or a dead/diseased top. The entire tree is not removed, just the damaged or dangerous sec- tions, to keep them from fall- ing and injuring people or damaging structures. Galecki will also make note of any trees that require pruning if they are impact- ing the vision of pedestrian or vehicular traffic or hang- ing low enough to be a haz- ard. Some pruning has been slated for the trees in front of City Hall. There are several large junipers and ponderosas around town already slated for removal due to damage from disease or insect infes- tation. They will be removed as soon as possible. The largest tree in the city, a ponderosa about 300 years old, is located in the camp- ground near the dumpsters and is beginning to show signs of stress. Galecki indi- cated there is a bug epidemic starting due to the cycle of heat and drought currently being experienced. Trees that are in some way stressed are the ones that will be attacked by harmful insects. Galecki indicated that one of his goals is to protect old- growth trees, but when signs of pitch and sawdust begin to appear, indicating insect infestation, action must be taken quickly to reduce haz- ards and to stem the spread to other trees. Car crash takes down power in Sisters The bull-riding action was going fast and furious in the Sisters Rodeo arena on Sunday afternoon when the big digital screen went black and the powerful sound sys- tem went silent. A car had crashed into a power pole on Highway 20 near Paradise Alley, taking down the power to Sisters and Black Butte Ranch. The crash seriously snarled traffic as the rodeo crowd tried to leave the grounds and head out on Highway 20. The traf- fic mess was exacerbated by a car fire on the detour route at Highway 126 and Cloverdale Road at about 5:15 p.m. Traffic gradually cleared and power and Internet ser- vice was restored in most places by 8 p.m. Sunday evening. Oregon State Police reportedly made an arrest in the initial crash. Bill to ban criminal record question advances SALEM (AP) The Oregon Senate has approved a bill making it illegal for employers to ask about criminal records on applications. The bill passed Thurs. in a 21-8 vote. The so-called “ban the box” measure would prohibit questions on job applications, but an employer could still ask about convictions during a job interview. P r o p o n e n t s s a y i t ’s extremely difficult for people with a criminal record to find work because they’re auto- matically excluded at an early stage, waiting until an inter- view to ask about convictions would give people a chance to explain conviction, recent conduct, and qualifications. Critics worry the measure will put businesses at risk of lawsuits. The measure returns to the House, which must agree to changes made in the Senate. Prevent a Litter, Fix Your Critter! FURRY FRIEND S FOUNDATION 501 ( c )( 3 ) www.furryfriendsfoundation.org 541-549-9941 501(c)(3) nonprofi t organization Spay/Neuter Sponsorships - Easy as 1-2-3 1 Stop by The Nugget offi ce to fi ll out a short form 2 Call Bend Spay & Neuter for the appointment 3 Take your pet — Furry Friends pays. Done!