Ann Arbor City Forester Kay Sicheneder recently did the math to figure out how many dead and dying trees the city can generally remove and replace in one year.
The answer? About 1,000 trees a year.
After the city did that for 10 years, Sicheneder said, it would still leave about 10,000 trees that died in the meantime and would need to be replaced - all because of the emerald ash borer infestation.
City officials acknowledge there isn't money in the budget to speed up the tree-replacement process. Instead, they're turning to residents in the city known as Tree Town to lend a hand in the effort. Costs range from $450 to $600 per tree for removal and between $120 to $330 for replacement.
"We will be able to do it over a longer period of time,'' said City Council Member Leigh Greden, D-3rd Ward. "If you want to do it sooner, then residents will need to step up.''
The city has developed a pilot program using "tree teams,'' groups of volunteers who would plant 15 to 20 trees in their neighborhood on Saturdays. The initiative also includes an Adopt-A-Park component, in which residents volunteer to help replace trees in city parks.
Property owners would be eligible for a tax deduction if they pay for their own street trees using a prequalified nursery for the tree after securing a free city forestry permit. The city will organize and distribute 20 percent tree-purchase discount coupons that are valid at participating nurseries.
Energy Coordinator Matt Naud said replacing trees is one of the city's most important environmental issues. He said the ecological benefits of trees range from providing shade and retaining storm water to habitat and food sources for wildlife.
"I think many people will be willing to volunteer some time on a weekend and plant trees on their street if the city provides soil, trees and permits,'' said Doug Cowherd, co-chairman of the Sierra Club-Huron Valley Group, who was among a group of residents to help develop the strategy.
The city is also attempting to diversify the tree population. Currently, 30 percent of its trees are maples, and officials fear that may lead to another infestation problem like the one that infected ash trees.
"Everyone wants a maple. They are beautiful,'' Naud said. "If we plant significantly more maples, we find ourselves facing the same problem.''
With global warming, temperatures could get too warm in 50 to 100 years to support healthy maple trees in Michigan, Naud said
Sicheneder said the city has about 30 different tree species to replace the dead and dying trees.Ann Arbor News
