Developers and landscape architects think long and hard about the landscaping of their projects, but how do you organize plantings for an entire city? A project to do just that is already under way in Saratoga Springs and is entering a public comment phase. Volunteers in the Sustainable Saratoga group have been tallying the 5,000 or so trees in the Spa City in hopes of one day having the municipality carry the title of Tree City. Stakeholders hope a Master Tree Plan can be put before the City Council some time in mid-2013. Tom Denny of Sustainable Saratoga is on a steering committee of eight people and said the group has partnered with the city under a grant of $20,000 from the state Department of Environmental Conservation to take an inventory of street trees. The grant was matched by Sustainable Saratoga. “The city is in line to be reimbursed by the state for whatever they expend,” said Denny. It is possible the project will cost less. The plan, if adopted, could change the way the city manages its arboreal resources. Today, for example, if someone wants to plant a tree they are supposed to make a request to the city — something that isn’t always done. “We’re going to develop a policy that’s (more) likely to be followed, and bringing in DPW and having them be a strong voice in the decision-making process,” said Landscape Architect Bill Sprengnether of Cardinal Direction, who is authoring the plan. A complete plan would also specify when certain trees should be removed.
“There will be discussion of removal of trees as they die or have to be removed for mechanical or functional reasons,” said Sprengnether. “Approximately 60 percent of all street trees in the city are of the species Acer (maples). Norway maples have been introduced through the horticulture industry. It’s a very durable and accessible street tree, but invasive.” The Master Tree Plan would encourage the removal of invasive species and the planting of native ones like hackberry, serviceberry, eastern redbud and dogwood. Most of the effort involved in the project is already over. Sustainable Saratoga is now transitioning from the inventory phase, which accounts for 99 percent of the project, and into the planning stages. Volunteers worked on the inventory phase, including about a dozen SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry school alumni. During the inventory, volunteers recorded tree diameter, species, condition and height. It took months, but the result is a full picture of the city’s arboreal resources that planners will use to create a Street Tree Management Plan. Retired DEC Forester, Rick Fenton is also on the steering committee with Sustainable Saratoga. He said the group formed because there has never been a coordinated tree program in the city. “Public Works has had crews pruning and taking down branches from trees in the strip between the sidewalks and streets and offer landowners in the city to plant trees. But it tends to be limited by budget and availability,” said Fenton. He added that while Public Works does an excellent job at maintaining the city’s trees, there is a need to manage the urban forest. There are even some legacy trees in the city, including a few American elms near Broadway and a stand of oaks in Congress Park. “They’re maybe not that old, but somebody had to have planted them,” said Fenton. “One of the basic requirements (of becoming a Tree City) is for the city to adopt a management plan.” The management plan could lead to the Spa City being designated a Tree City under a program sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of Foresters. There are more than 3,000 Tree City communities nationwide. Tree Cities have a Tree Board, a tree care ordinance, a community forestry program and observe Arbor Day. While Sprengnether is drafting the plan, he said input from the entire city is welcome. To meet that goal, a series of public meetings about the plan will be held. The first will be at the end of October. An exact date has not been set. “The master plan will address as many concerns as possible … (it will) deal with everybody’s concerns and will be collaborative effort with the city,” said Sprengnether. Sustainable Saratoga has not officially collaborated with the initiative to adopt a Complete Streets policy presented to city council this past April, but may be collaborating with officials in the coming months. Denny will be offering a program entitled Saratoga’s Trees: Past, Present, and Future to be presented at the Saratoga Springs Public Library in the Dutcher Community Room on Thursday, Oct. 4, from noon to 1 p.m.
For more on the public meetings or the Tree City program, visit sustainablesaratoga.com.