Downtown trees should be axed sporadically and have substantial replacements

Posted: Friday, September 29, 2000

   A walk down West Clayton Street today demonstrates just what the city would look like without its trees. Since 25 ginkgoes were cut down this summer as part of the multimillion-dollar sales tax-funded infrastructure and streetscape project, West Clayton has had a barren, harsh appearance. This condition will soon be remedied when the trees are replaced with new ones this winter, but it will be many years before the replacements reach the size of the original trees.

   The tree removal and replacement isn't just being done arbitrarily. According to Athens-Clarke County officials, some of the trees have to be removed due to the construction of new sidewalks, curbs and gutters. But, other trees will be replaced because they are suffering from having too little space to grow or they can't thrive under urban conditions.

   Next spring, the Bradford pear trees along Broad Street will be removed and replaced. In the coming years, it's likely that most other trees in downtown Athens will be felled and replaced with hardier types of trees. If the trees aren't replaced, county officials said, they will eventually die under the current circumstances.

   While we understand the need to remove the existing trees in downtown Athens, improve the growing conditions and then replace them with trees that will thrive for decades, we hope the county will conduct this work in a way that will have the least impact. For instance, rather than cutting all of the trees along an entire street at once, remove the trees sporadically in different areas. This would leave some mature trees in place while the newer trees fill in around them.

   The replacement trees should also be of significant size when they are planted. A row of scraggly-looking sticks that are only a few feet high will be dwarfed by the buildings, signs and parking meters around them and will look ridiculous. It will also take years for trees this small to become large enough to actually replace the trees that were removed.

   With some planning, the county can do what's necessary and replace downtown's trees while having as little impact on the area's appearance as possible.


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