First reported 9/9/2009 4:23 p.m.
Oak Park trustees overrode recommendations of the village’s own forestry commission on Sept. 8 to change the standards for spacing trees on village parkways.
In a 4-3 vote, the village board chose to now have trees planted 50 feet apart instead of 35, which was the previous standard in the village. However, the board also added a provision allowing the forester to plant trees closer together if he deems necessary.
What that could mean is fewer parkway trees in Oak Park, say members of the village’s forestry commission.
But the village’s own forester and an urban forestry consultant employed by the board disagreed, saying that trees were suffering in Oak Park, because they are spaced too close together.
“The study that I was doing on tree spacing in the town was pretty clear that there are currently issues involved that negatively effect the health of the trees,” said urban forestry consultant Mark Duntemann, who lives in Oak Park. “Expanding the spacing, as I pointed out, will be more environmentally sound in the town and economically a wiser choice with a limited budget.”
Trustees Glenn Brewer, John Hedges and Jan Pate, along with Village President David Pope voted to approve the new policy, which was recommended by Village Forester Jim Semelka and Duntemann.
Trustees Colette Lueck, Jon Hale and Ray Johnson voted to give the village forester discretion to plant trees 35 feet apart.
“Our goal is to have the right number of trees on the right blocks,” Lueck said, “and no number is going to tell you what that is.”
After the meeting, Semelka said he was happy about the new changes to forestry planning.
“What I want [for each tree] is a continuous health that is long lived,” Semelka said. “I think that’s achieved by trees with larger canopies not in competition, that don’t require more pruning.”
The village board was unanimous in its decision to partially restore the annual tree planting budget of $100,000 which had suspended in the spring. Oak Park trustees approved $50,000 for tree planting this fall. The forestry commission had recommended the board restore the entire 2009 tree planting budget.
The amount will be enough to replace trees lost from Dutch Elm disease, according to Semelka.
While Lueck noted that the money won’t get the village ahead of losses from Dutch elm, Semelka said that the funding still helps.
“It keeps us from getting further behind,” Semelka said.
Wednesday Journal will have more on this story in next week’s issue.
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