PROTECTING A HISTORIC BAYFIELD TREE DURING STREET RESTORATION

SEVERAL CITY STREETS ARE BEING RECONSTRUCTED

ASPHALT AND ORIGINAL BRICKS REMOVED

RED OAK ORIGINAL TO CITY STREET

ONE OF THELARGEST BAYFIED CITY STREET TREES..

..JUST LEAFING OUT

Wednesday, 8:30 AM.  40 degrees F and warming up fast.  Wind SSW, calm with light to moderate gusts.  The sky is clear.  The humidity id 87% and the barometer stands now at 30.53" and has begun to fall, predicting rain for tomorrow.  I have heard that it snowed yesterday morning in Iron River, about 25 miles west of Ashland; we passed through but didn't see any on the ground.
   Two male sapsucker woodpeckers were having a donnybrook over a female this morning, so involved in their spat that they completely ignored Buddy and myself as they flitted around us, chattering in a hissing vocalization I had never heard before.
   Love is a dangerous thing.
   Bayfield has several streets that have original brick pavers, partially covered with asphalt over the years.   As part of a federal matching grant these streets will be regraded, the pavers saved and relaid over sand on top of an underlayment of concrete.  The center of the streets will be brick, the aprons asphalt, and new gutters installed.  The project concerns Broad Street north and south of Rittenhouse Ave.,  from Washingtgon Ave. to Manypenny Ave., and Second Street south of Rittenhouse Ave. to Manypenny Ave.
   As City Forester my main concern is one of the largest and most historic Bayfield  street trees,  located on the southwest end of Second Street, near Manypenny Ave.  It is over three feet in diameter and probably was planted when the street was plotted, about 1845, making it about 175 years old.
   It has suffered numerous indignities over the years from street work such as the installation of curb, gutter and sidewalks, and it went unpruned for many years. At some point prop roots on the east side of the tree were severed.  In recent times it has been well cared for and is currently quite healthy and apparently stable.
   I have met with the supervising engineer on the project and we have determined that no roots should be disturbed, and that when street construction work is done an undisturbed, elliptical island will be left around the trunk that will be a minimum of three feet from the trunk on the east and west sides of the tree, and six feet from the center of the trunk on the north and south sides of the tree.  This should allow for all existing prop roots.  The curb  on the street side of the tree will not be deep enough to disturb existing roots, and a new sidewalk will curve around the tree and not disturb roots. The grade around the tree will not be changed.  If possible the new sidewalk will be of a porous material.
   The tree's trunk will be protected at all times, and I will be consulted regarding any construction problems or changes.  At an appropriate time the City will prune and fertilize the tree, and the adjacent homeowner has agreed to water lawn areas around the tree as needed.
   Our focus will be maintaining the health and welfare of this historic tree during and after street construction.  An upshot of this concern will be the promulgation of a Heritage Tree Ordinance by the Tree Board, to be presented to the Mayor and Council for their consideration.