Interesting article A sequoia forest in Detroit? Planting world's largest trees on vacant lots | Bridge Michigan
I really like the idea. Controversial statement as it may be, I'll say it anyway. I hope the local residents don't graffiti the poor trees. I do wonder why they don't plant native trees instead too. But municipalities do seem to love planting whatever is trendy at the time: Norway maples, Bradford pears, Zelkova...
If the trees get big enough to grafitti...years ago, an old employer did volunteer work planting trees along the city owned ROW. People would come out yelling that they didn't want trees planted in front of their houses. Thought when they get bigger, they would block the streetlights and invite crime. Many of those trees didn't last a week and were pulled out by the residents. Hopefully these do better, as they are being planted on lots designated for this type of stuff and will have lots of attention.
Interesting. Wonder how long they will live? Few years back while working for friends in Rhode Island they pointed out the giant sequoias planted across the street in the neighbors yard. Might've been redwoods as I cant recall. they were 30-40 tall.
Part of the problem with the city planting trees in the “City Owned ROW” is that the city usually does that without any input from the residents directly affected, but then the residents are REQUIRED to maintain the “Improvements” Where I grew up in outer SE Portland (once a City to be PROUD Of), the “Parking Strip” between the sidewalk and the curb was technically “City Owned” but the residents were required to maintain the parking strip and sidewalk. That not only included cleaning up the leaves/needles or other messes created by the “Improvements” but also financially taking care of the trees and sidewalks in front of their property. Even if the damage to the sidewalks was caused by the city planted trees. In our neighborhood, the parking strips weren’t wide enough for something like a large tree, but in many of the older neighborhoods, typically closer in to the city, the parking strips were wide enough for large trees, and I do remember hearing and reading about those very issues coming up Putting in small trees, is the CHEAP and EASY part, the city then makes claims of their doing things to “Beautify” the city, but then Real Work and Expense goes to those who had no say in the “Improvements” Basically, it was “We’re going to Do This, and You’re Going to Like it, Pay for it, Maintain It, and SHUT UP about it” I don’t blame the neighbors if some of the small trees “Mysteriously Disappeared “ maybe they were abducted by Aliens , for studies and testing, just not sure where/how you “Probe a tree. Yep I’m sure that it was the Aliens Doug
I don’t know if the Giant Sequoia is considered a Keystone species, but I’d opt for a species critically important to the food web.
Agree with what you are saying. However, the sentiment was not that at all and was more of what the article touched on. Many of these folks do not have any appreciation for trees or forests and the benefits they provide. How does a tree invite crime? What does the abandoned house next door do in terms of inviting crime?
