The Urban Forestry Hall of Shame
by Jennifer Hoffman

Construction Damage

Here is an example of efforts to protect trees during the construction process. The above picture makes no effort to separate construction from the nearby trees, ironically it was taken at a botanical garden.

The next three pictures show an effort being made with orange snow fencing. This type of fencing is flimsy and can easily fall down or be trampled.

It is not only important to protect the trunk but the roots as well. This area is known as the critical root zone. One rule of thumb is to prevent damage within 1 foot for every inch of trunk diameter. As you can see this was not done for these three trees.

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Roots need love too!

Confined root space is one of the greatest challenges for urban trees. Also known as "sidewalk coffins", these planters don't give roots the needed space to spread out. The result will be a short lived, unhealthy tree.

Planting too deep and confined root space will encourage the roots to encircle the trunk. When they grow, they will eventually girdle the trunk, increasing the risk of tree failure.

Roots can run along curbs and sometimes grow up and over them. This root system looks as if there was at one time a curb running near the tree. There is now more space for the roots to spread out.

Besides confined space, there are other parking lot hazards that can affect tree health. Run off of oil, sediment, automitive fluids and de-icing salts can comprimise nutrient availability and value.

Here the stems are protected from construction, quite creatively in fact, but what about the roots?

Soil compaction is one of the outcomes of construction. If a tree were to be planted here the roots would have a hard time acquiring water and oxygen due to highly compacted soils.

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Don't EVER Do This To A Tree!

Scaffolding and trees rarely mix. Urban trees face many everyday stresses, and this downtown tree will likely show the results of this construction stress.

While very patriotic, this can do serious damage to your tree. Whenever you introduce a wound to a tree you are increasing the risk of decay entering the tree.

While artistically this is a very interesting idea, it will not help to save this tree. If a tree has a large dead cavity, filling it with cement will only make it more difficult for the person wielding the chainsaw to remove it.

Immortalizing yourself through carving your name into a tree will only increase the likelihood of decay. Trees do not "heal" after being wounded.

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Time To Chop It Down!

While duct tape seems to be the magic cure for almost everything, it can't save a tree. Once the trunk has cracked and split, nothing can save the tree, not even duct tape.

This tree outside of a museum, has the same problem of a split trunk. It is held together with a 2 come-alongs. This tree is located in a high traffic area and has minimal structural integrity. (It has since been removed).

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Severed Limbs

These two trees have been battered and abused by twinkle light activity. If holiday lights are left on year-round they have the potential to girdle or choke the tree as it grows. Constant addition and removal of equipment such as lights and electrical outlets will likely result in severed limbs.

Whether through breakage or improper pruning these branch stumps should be removed to minimize the risk of decay. For tips on pruning click here.

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Girdle, Girdle, Girdle

Girdling can happen in many ways. In this instance the wire basket was left tightly wrapped around the trunk of the tree. This will constrict the movement of water and nutrients through the tree, and can eventually kill the tree.

Another form of girdling is removal of the bark and vascular tissue. This is preventing movement of nutrients from the roots into the upper part of the tree. This tree will die because of girdling.

Staking a tree, while sometimes necessary, must be done with care. Here a tree is tied to a stake with a cotton T-shirt. It was tied so tightly that when the tree grew, it was girdled by the T-shirt.

This tree was girdled by a tight wire around the trunk.

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Embedded Objects

Often objects are chained to a tree for safe keeping. Trees are often the victim of chained picnic tables, chairs, and grills. If the chains aren't let out as it continues to grow, the chain will become embedded in the tree. Sometimes the tree will grow around these imbedded objects and survive just fine. Other times it will girdle the vascular tissue and kill the tree.

Trees grow! Hoses, and fence posts have the potential to be "absorbed" if they get in the way. As with the chains above, some trees will survive just fine, others will become girdled.

Imbedding objects into a tree will increase the potential for decay. Whether it is an eye screw, nails or staples it is never a good idea.

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Storm Damage

This large tree was planted about 2 feet from the house. As a result it was blown down in a storm and the neighbors garage paid the price. Know the limits of the space where you plant your trees.

Unfortunately, sometimes even if a tree does have enough root space it just cant stand up to 90mph winds.

Neglecting to properly prune your tree can lead to it's failure. This tree failed because of included bark and decay. For proper pruning techniques, click here.

It is very important to not plant trees to deep. This tree was planted 8-9 inches too deep, which led to its failure. Click here to learn about how to plant.

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Miscellaneous

Healthy urban forests can be a sense of community pride. Value and care for your urban forest.

Some trees do need to be staked until they can establish anchoring on their own. For proper staking techniques click here.

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