Image provided by: Oregon Historical Society; Portland, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 1982)
JUNE 22, 1982 PAGE 7 Pruners go out on a limb to keep trees healthy Safety lines keep pruners from falling in case they lose their grip during the trimming process. I t’s a good thing too. Spilyay Tymoo photos and text by Marsha Shewczyk * _______ \_______ ______ Part of the crew is responsible fo r cleaning up. Two local residents, William Leonard and Clifton Brunoe pile branches and run them Trees need care too. F oe many years the trees in the W arm Springs community have been left to themselves. Occasionally the power company would come by and cut the tops off but only with concern fpr the utility lines, not the trees themselves. As the trees in the campus area matured they were and still are being exposed to a variety o f conditions including water shortage, extremes in temperature, insects and disease. All of this influences the way in which a tree grows. For the sixty years most of the trees have been in existence they have received little help. And despite this they are basically strong and healthy trees. But broken limbs and brown leaves are indications that something is wrong. Examination of the campus area trees revealed that they were in need of pruning and nourishment to enable trees them to complete their 100 year life cycle in a healthy manner. Some trees were in immediate need while others simply needed nourishment. The revitalization task has been undertaken by a Portland firm, Vets Tree Servicei owned by Warm Springs tribal member Ted Brunoe. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is paying the firm $37,475 to prune and fertilize the 160 trees in the campus area. Five local people have been hired to help complete the 45 day contract. The two dominant varieties of trees being worked on are the Lombardi Poplar and Chinese Elm. Some cottonwood trees and birch are also receiving attention of the crew. Vets Tree Service supervisor Paul Irish stated that all the trees were in need of work. He explained that there is no space for either light or air to ' get through the branches. Keeping the trees healthy will ensure their staying alive much longer. But because the trees are so old, Irish feels plans should be made to plant trees which will replace the ones that will eventually die. Until that time, fertilizing and pruning will prolong the aged tree’s life span. With just this little attention, the trees in the area will flourish and continue t a provide shade, areas of play for children and beauty in the community for a while longer. It’s not really too surprising what a little care will <d©«<«* Local resident Don Gold is caring fo r an orphaned crow which lost its home as pruners cut branches from trees on the campus area. The crow is slowly wandering out on its own but still looks to Don fo r a home and food. Crew supervisor Paul Irish points out the dead branches being removed from the campus area trees. H e feels the trees were due for a trim. - ........ . . ____________________,
