Nearly 400 new trees being planted in 45th Ward in June; Ald. Gardiner hosts meeting on tree trimming, plantings

UPDATE: As trees are being planted along parkways, residents are being reminded to help water the new trees, especially during the recent drought.

by BRIAN NADIG

The planting of 396 trees along the public way in the 45th Ward started this month, and the city expects tree trimming will be significantly more efficient this year under the new grid system.

“(Tree planting) goes by ward. … Your ward is up next,” city forestry general superintendent Greg Wagner said at a June 5 community meeting hosted by Alderman James Gardiner (45th). About 50 people attended the meeting, which was held at the Edgebrook Library, 5331 W. Devon Ave.

The same species of tree will not be planted next to another to help prevent beetles from easily spreading disease from tree to tree, like what happened with the Dutch elm and Emerald ash borer diseases, Wagner said.

In April the city implemented a new grid system in which crews trim all the trees on a block that need trimming at the same time instead of working off a list of addresses where the service had been requested.

The result would be up a “2 1/2 to 3-year wait” for some requests to be fulfilled, and crews would trim one tree on a block and skip others because those requests had been more recently made and had not been assigned to a crew, Gardiner said. He added that his volunteer teams of “Gardner’s Angels” have been trimming lower hanging branches on parkway trees when requested.

By focusing on a geographical area, more trees will be trimmed in a shorter time span, and trimming crews should not have to return to a block for about 5 years, city officials have said.

In all of 2022, the city trimmed 354 trees in 2022 in the ward, but in just six weeks, 295 were trimmed in the ward under the new system, Gardiner said.

“As the crews get more experience, those numbers should go up,” Wagner said. “I have 524,000 trees (citywide) to trim in five years.”

“The 311 system won’t take a (regular) tree trim request anymore, (but) if there is something really dangerous, we’ll address that immediately,” Wagner said, adding that emergency trim requests can be made.

Crews are scheduled to trim 12 months a year, but following wind storms they may be temporarily reassigned to clean up fallen branches and trees, Wagner said. He added that the city is about caught up in cutting down its dead Ash trees on the public way, freeing up more time for trimming.

Some residents asked about the guidelines for trimming and if they will be notified in advance when the trimming in their area will take place.

“If the branch is 10 feet above your roofline, we don’t touch it, (and) we have to keep the tree somewhat balanced (to prevent it from falling in a storm),” Wagner said.

No parking signs will be posted on blocks prior to tree trimming, but schedules could fluctuate. “They could go down the first block and have 100 trees to be trimmed, and the next street four trees need to be trimmed,” Gardiner said.

Tree trimming in the 45th Ward is designated for Fridays. Gardiner said that he has requested that the Edgebrook and Wildwood area be the next targeted area due to the high number of trees in those communities.

For residents wanting additional grooming of parkway trees that falls out of the criteria for the city’s trimming crews, they will need to contact a licensed contractor who will need to get a permit prior to the work, Wagner said. A city forester will review the request, he said.

The improper trimming or removal of trees on the parkway can result in a $5,000 fine and other fees, Wagner said.

One resident asked if he could submit a new parkway tree request for a neighbor who may not necessarily want a tree.

“It costs us $700 a tree. It costs us $700 to take it out, and $700 to put it elsewhere,” Wagner said. “It doesn’t behoove us to order trees for someone else.”

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