Ann Arbor, Just As They Say, Is City Of Trees

Probably no other community in the United States so conjures up a visión of trees as does Ann Arbor to those who live here, or those who have merely visited a while. Even to those who have never seen our city, its very name suggests a leafy bower, and hints at greenness and sylvan beauty. Ann Arbor, too, is the only city whose trees have been left an inheritance- a $2 million trust fund willed to the city by Miss Elizabeth R. Dean, who specified that the income be used solely for the care and planting of trees. No one really knows how many trees grow within the city limits of Ann Arbor, but suryeys made by the Parks Department, whieh has the responsibility for maintaining and planting trees on city property, show there are more than 31,000 trees of more than 60 species growing along the streets alone. Add to this about 8,000 trees in parks, the uncounted thousands more in places like the Arboretum, Eberwhite Woods, the Ann Arbor High School Conservation Lab, and the golf courses. And when you further add the number of private trees in back yards and empty lots, you could easily come up with the guesstimate of more than two trees per person in the city. The number of trees planted each year, and added to the city in parkland purchased, will more than keep up this ratio for many years to come. The tree planting program carried out by the Parks Department shows almost 2,000 trees planted yearly along streets, in new subdivisions, and on parkland. Approximately 60 per cent of these are replacement trees for others which have died or been removed. The majority of trees are planted in the spring, when conditions are best for growth, but a fall planting program, beginning after leaf fall from mid-October through November, is also carried out. Certain species, however, cannot be planted in the fall and must be held until spring. About 40 per cent of the street trees come from the city's own nursery on Ellsworth Rd., where more than 4,200 trees are in various stages of growth on an eight-acre plot. Other trees used in the planting program are obtained on a bid basis from private nurseries. Dutch Elm disease, which has caused the loss of many of Ann Arbor's fine old street trees and the spending of thousands of dollars in maintenance and removal, has also caused a basic change in planting plans for the city'. Where once new subdivisión streets were planted to a single species, not only making for a rather monotonous look, but also opening up the possibility of a new disease sweeping down the entire street, the department's plans now cali for a more varied planting of a number of different species, based on general condition and character of the block. More than 30 different species of trees are regularly used by the city on Ann Arbor streets. "The idea," says City Forester Don Guiñan, "is to match a particular species of trees to the individual situation. We take into account not only the soil type, drainage, size and dimensions of area to be planted, but we also try to visualize what a tree will look like when fully grown and how it will fit in the particular situation. A Beech is a beautiful tree, for instance, but it grows so wide and branches so closely to the ground that we can't put it in the usual lawn extensión We nave to save this species for a place where it has plenty of room to spread." "We also look into the hardiness of a tree, and whether or not it is subject to tree diseases which might destroy it " he went on. "The Birch family has beautiful bark but around iiere it is subject to borers and other insect attacks. Birches seldom last more than eight years, and are very high maintenance trees. When we use one in a particular fpot we Plant the native vanety instead of the European one because it is more insect resistant." Guiñan is well acquainted with the trees in this area. He was born and grew up in the Chelsea area, took his degree in PafíSt, a,rb0riculture MSU' and spent ve years with the Michigan State Conservation Department Parks División. Before coming to Ann Arbor last year he was city forester in JLincoin, J6b. He supervises a 14-man crew (plus additional summer parlcZP l ! P) HWAh 3 g6t f 5144,210.60 (this figure does not include an additional $22,000 appropriated last year by Council , for dead elm tree removal by outside contractors) nwnM' pmhipm iip fa.nc9 Dutch E]m disease
With more than 6,000 elms Oü Ann Arbor's streets, ana countless others in parks and on private property, and as yet no cure for Dutch Elm disease, the Forestry and Shade Tree división of the Parks Department spends almost half its manhours on some phase of work relating to elms. Tree and stump removal (mostly dead elms) accounts for 38 per cent of the time spent by crews, the elm survey (to pinpoint diseased elms for removal) another 4.5 per cent, and spraying 5.9 per cent. The spray program is the most controversial area, with many citizens dead set against use of the DDT sprayed to destroy the bark beetles which infect elms with the killing fungus growth. Guiñan regrets having to use the chemical, too, and looks forward to the time when either a cure for the disease will make further applications unnecessary or control of the current epidemie allows use of a less toxic chemical. Figures are not complete yet, but from all indications the spray program carried out last fall and spring did result in a smaller percentage of elm loss this year. Whether or not this reduction of loss is sufficient to allow use of methoxychlor instead of DDT will depend on the final figures, but Guiñan believes one more year of the stronger application will be necessary to stop the expidemic proportions of the last three years. At least part of the greater than usual losses can be attributed, he believes, to incomplete spray programs in 1964 and 1965. "The elm is a fine shade tree- one of the best," says Guiñan. "Almost 20 per cent of our street trees are elms, and we'd like to save them if at all possible. I wish the scientists would hurry and come up with a good answer soon- they seem to be so close to it now. Then we could devote more of our time to planting, trimming, and general tree improvement." One of the things Guiñan would like for the future is a greenhouse where trees and shrub seedlings could be propagated. This would not only save money, but also would let the city make more use of interesting specimen trees which are now i too expensive for our budget, or are unavailable. It would also allow us to propágate shrubs which are climate adapted to this particular area. Guiñan has his eye, in particular, on a rare Chinese Elm on the old Botanical Gardens property. It's the only one ne has found in Ann Arbor (the trees generally called Chinese Elm are really Siberian Elm), and, while unspectaular from a distance it has a most distinctive and beautiful bark. In aüdition it is completely resistant to Dutch Elm disease. Guiñan is also quick to point out other unusual and interesting trees in Ann Arbor, including two American Chestnuts on Robin Road, a persimmon tree in front of the Bethlehem Church several Ginkgoes (botanically one of the oldest plants in existence), and some beautiful Kentucky Coffee Trees (the species planted on the courthouse square by John Allen, tne founder of Ann Arbor). Ann Arbor undoubtedly will remain famous lor lts trees ior a long time to come-even to those who only hear about it from afar.