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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2017)
20 Wednesday, August 30, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon TREE REMOVAL: Hazard trees will be taken out under plan Continued from page 1 Management Plan. They also asked for a review by City Forester Dan Galecki of Spindrift Forestry Consulting regarding proposed tree removals on all three school campuses, and a tour of the campuses by the UFB and Public Works prior to any more work. The school district man- agement plan is guided by three main goals: 1. Minimize risks to students, faculty, par- ents, visitors, and the gen- eral public through hazard tree and limb identification, and fire fuels mitigation; 2. Improve the health condi- tion of currently established and future trees to promote a healthy, diverse, variable-age forest that will benefit cur- rent and future generations; and 3. Improve the safety of the SSD campuses by mini- mizing on-campus screening from trees, limbs, and foli- age, thus creating and main- taining clear lines of sight across campuses to improve vehicle, pedestrian, and foot traffic, and to discourage potential human and animal predators, hostage situations, active shooter, and other law enforcement concerns. Additionally, in the winter, trees shading parking lots and sidewalks hinder melting of ice and snow, slowing down efforts of district maintenance personnel to clear away the snow and ice. Trees growing in close proximity to any solid sur- faces such as parking lots, driveways, and sidewalks, give rise to heaving and lift- ing issues creating tripping hazards and increased costs to repair such areas. Trees that are spaced fur- ther apart, allow larger mow- ers and fertilizing equipment to get in between the trees, eliminating slower handwork. Trees close to the school buildings create maintenance issues with needles accu- mulating in the gutters. This past winter, collected needles helped to create ice dams, which caused damage to the buildings. Particularly at the middle school, classrooms on the second floor do not receive much daylight due to the trees near the building. Teachers have complained about the lack of natural day- light in the classrooms. The Urban Forestry Board is a requirement for recipi- ents of the Tree City USA designation, which the City has received for the past 10 years. The board began meet- ing on a regular basis after the public outcry following removal of a number of trees in Creekside Campground several years ago. The five-member UFB provides guidance for the management of the urban for- est (those trees located within public rights-of-way, parks, and public places owned or controlled by the City), and provides recommendations to staff regarding City ordi- nances and codes involv- ing trees. The Community Development Director can ask for their review of and recommendations for pro- posed tree removals in sub- divisions being built in the city. The board works in con- cert with the contracted City Forester. Dave Moyer is chairman of the UFB and has 42 years experience as an employee with the U. S. Forest Service. The other four members of the board all have experience in related fields. On last week’s tour of school grounds, the UFB heard from both Dave Vitelle of Bear Mountain Fire (who is donating the tree removal services) and from Galecki regarding the reasoning behind each of their recom- mendations for limbing and thinning of trees. Vitelle’s initial recommendations for removal were all marked with a blue paint spot at the base of the tree. Galecki had indicated his suggested removals by circling the tree with blue tape so the UFB could easily compare the recommendations. Generally speaking, Galecki’s removal recom- mendations were far more conservative than Vitelle’s, leaving more trees in place, and considering providing thickets and the occasional dead tree for wildlife habi- tat. Vitelle favored removal of almost all junipers due to their aggressive consump- tion of water, which he said negatively impacts surround- ing ponderosas and other vegetation. Galecki and the UFB favored a more diverse forest, leaving those junipers that had space around them and removing those in close proximity to the ponderosas. The fi x is... PHOTO BY SUE STAFFORD Referred to as “snaking”, crooked trees like this are marked for removal. “Strongest tree is the straightest tree.” - Dave Vitelle Vitelle recommended removal of any dead tree. Galecki suggested study- ing the cause of the tree’s mortality and its particular placement before decid- ing to remove it. Vitelle’s approach called for thinning to leave single trees with more open space around each tree. Galecki suggested leav- ing some clumps of trees and then spacing away from the clump, in addition to single trees. Disagreement surfaced regarding the areas at the east end of the elementary school where the local deer are known to bed down. SSD Operations Director Ryan Stock said that school dis- trict personnel have to herd the deer out in the morning because children play in that area and he is concerned that See TREE REMOVAL on page 22 FREE to Spay/Neuter Your Dog or Cat SMOKE BOTHERING YOU? I can help support your lungs. MEANINGFUL MEDICINE Kim Hapke, k N Naturopath 971-409-0908 Sisters Art Works Building ing unsel o C nts & ness atme port Well e r T l p a to Su Natur DON’T MISS OUT on this week’s insert in the Nugget: What did the green grape say to the red grape? “Breathe! Breathe!” Don’t miss it at Ray’s Food Place: Green & Red Grapes are priced at just 97¢ per pound. Nobody can wine about that! Easy as 1-2-3 1 Stop by to fi ll out a simple form 2 Call Bend Spay & Neuter for the appointment 3 Take your pet — Furry Friends pays. Done! Ask about our vaccination sponsorships, too! Furry Friends Foundation - 442 E. Main Ave. (The Nugget offi ce)