Trees in KC (ongoing)

[FangKC]

https://twitter.com/QuintonLucasKC/stat ... Ti93s-vbIQ

[smh]

Has anyone read or heard anything about the maintenance plan for these trees? It would be great to see these trees thrive, but given their small size I question whether they will succeed without significant attention.

[moderne]

Probably no maintenance plans. I tried repeatedly in vain to get watering for hundreds of trees in my neighborhood planted a year ago. They are all mostly dead looking now, will take some divine intervention for any to make it till spring. City seems to not plan for maintenance for anything it does.
In tree planting in neighborhoods they need to do some community outreach before planting to get people to take interest and realize value of trees to their environment and property values. So many trees in front of single family residences get no love. Especially problematic on east side where so many homes are rental and people have no vested interest in the long term aspect.

[FangKC]

In residential neighborhoods, they have to count on the resident near the tree to water it. This is not a practical approach because many people don't think it's their responsibility. Your example of renters is spot on. In low-income neighborhoods, homeowners and renters aren't going to add to their water bills to do it. In some low-income neighborhoods, a majority of the houses are rentals.

The City should plan to water the trees it plants, but I doubt they have the budget for it. Community outreach should be done, but again I doubt they have a budget. The City can barely maintain the parks and boulevards -- much less street trees.

It's a shame because newly-planted trees only need to be watered for a couple of years after planting then they usually do okay on their own.

[normalthings]

Has anyone read or heard anything about the maintenance plan for these trees? It would be great to see these trees thrive, but given their small size I question whether they will succeed without significant attention.

Bridging the Gap system seemed successful. City pays for the trees and volunteers come plant them after the property owner requests them and agrees to water for 2 years.

[DaveKCMO]

Has anyone read or heard anything about the maintenance plan for these trees? It would be great to see these trees thrive, but given their small size I question whether they will succeed without significant attention.

The Crossroads trees have two years of watering and maintenance by the neighborhood association. You're welcome!

[FangKC]

A Tale of Two Cities: The Intersection of Trees, Policy and Culture

...studies show that when cities take a proactive approach to street tree care, they have lower maintenance costs with greater benefit than cities that neglect timely tree care.
...

https://ihpl.llu.edu/blog/tale-two-citi ... nd-culture

The transport benefits of street trees in cities

...
The literature is quite clear on this topic: people drive fast on big wide roads, and creating a visually constrained roadway is the best means to keep then to the speed limit (ever been infuriated driving on the highway behind someone who is slow on the single lane sections, but who speeds up second they get to the passing lane? That’s them simply responding to the form of the road: going slow and cautious on the narrow winding bits, and driving faster when it goes wide and straight. Its a simple, instinctive perceptual response…)

So we prefer to see this ‘problem’ as part of the solution. Here the trees become a perceptual traffic safety device for reducing speeding and keeping traffic moving efficiently at the proper speed limit.
...

https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2015 ... in-cities/

[FangKC]

A Tale of Two Cities: The Intersection of Trees, Policy and Culture

...studies show that when cities take a proactive approach to street tree care, they have lower maintenance costs with greater benefit than cities that neglect timely tree care.
...

https://ihpl.llu.edu/blog/tale-two-citi ... nd-culture

The transport benefits of street trees in cities

...
The literature is quite clear on this topic: people drive fast on big wide roads, and creating a visually constrained roadway is the best means to keep then to the speed limit (ever been infuriated driving on the highway behind someone who is slow on the single lane sections, but who speeds up second they get to the passing lane? That’s them simply responding to the form of the road: going slow and cautious on the narrow winding bits, and driving faster when it goes wide and straight. Its a simple, instinctive perceptual response…)

So we prefer to see this ‘problem’ as part of the solution. Here the trees become a perceptual traffic safety device for reducing speeding and keeping traffic moving efficiently at the proper speed limit.
...

https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2015 ... in-cities/

DaveKCMO, when you are on a long train journey, here is some light reading.

https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Street ... e904010ad0

[FangKC]

https://twitter.com/JeffSpeckFAICP/stat ... 54/photo/1

[AlbertHammond]

MARC worked with MultiStudio to create a couple of model ordinances for cities to use as a starting point for new or updated ordinances on tree preservation and weed control/native plants. Several metro cities are already using these to update their ordinance. Many others should be.

http://marc2.org/assets/environment/gre ... dEvans.pdf

[FangKC]

Crossroads Street tree initiative.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp6Kx5epe72 ... _copy_link

[moderne]

Finally a plan that tries to address post-planting needs of trees.

[FangKC]

Kansas City just passed an ordinance to make developers protect trees — or pay up

https://www.kcur.org/news/2023-03-17/tr ... fine-plant

[DaveKCMO]

Finally a plan that tries to address post-planting needs of trees.

More details: https://kccrossroads.org/street-tree-initiative/

Next planting is in April/May and will include some trees at the KCPL substation at 18th & Cherry.