Tiffin Trees
In the last two years, many young trees have been planted following an inventory of our trees conducted in l995. The first few years of a newly set out tree are crucial to its survival. I would like to encourage the adjacent landowners to please water the new trees planted in l998-l999. The dry weather of June, July and August can be fatal to these newly planted trees if they do not receive enough water. The city workers can’t do it all.
This inventory was conducted by a tree inventory company, ACRT, from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. They received a contract from the city to make an urban forest inventory and to develop a comprehensive urban forestry program. This plan, submitted in September, l995, includes the findings of the complete street and park inventory.
The summary includes 6,117 trees, 842 planting sites and 123 stumps on Tiffin’s street rights of way . The city parks contained 1,142 trees and l4 stumps. Almost 100 species and varieties of trees were listed on street rights of way. Thirty three per cent of the trees were silver maples, followed by 15 per cent sugar maples, 9.5 per cent Norway maples and 5 per cent red maples. Eighty species were recorded in Tiffin parks, dominated by silver maple and Norway maples.
In the entire inventory, 46 public trees were recommended for priority one removal, 406 trees for priority two removal and after these were removed, several more should be removed that were not in an emergency situation . More than 1,300 trees were recommended for priority pruning.
A total estimated value for the public owned street trees was $8,458,000 and $1,112,000 for park trees. All the information from the Inventory Report has been computerized. The species and its site is recorded. Each new planting and every stump removal is recorded.
In 1997, 427 tree stumps were removed from the city streets and parks. For l998, 54 were removed. More than a twelve hundred trees were planted in the last three years, including two hundred from the City tree nursery at the Water Pollution Control Center. Four hundred more are to be planted this fall and next spring.
By the year 2000, almost all of the 842 planting sites listed in the original inventory will be checked off, and the trees that were removed from l995- l998 will have been replaced.
The Tiffin Shade Tree and Beautification Commission recommends to the city the appropriateness of the site and the species to be planted. All four hundred of the sites for l999 and 2000 will be personally checked by a member of the Commission. Once the list of 400 trees is complete, the City Administrator, Wayne Stephens, will advertise bids for the trees and their planting. This process should be completed for fall planting, l999 and the spring planting in 2000.
Before a tree is planted, each resident adjacent to a site will receive a card asking if they encourage or discourage that a tree be planted there. Except for a few unchecked sites and special situations such as new developments, the general canvassing for planting sites will be completed this year. If residents would like to have trees planted on City streets adjacent to their property, they can call Public Works/Street Department at 448 - 5430 or Percy Lilly, Chairman of the Commission at 447 - 2896.
For trees that are already planted, the City Administrator is the contact for receiving requests. This will generally involve the City arborist, Lowell Hetzel, and maybe the Tree Commission which is only a volunteer advisory group.
Tiffin has been named Tree City, USA for eighteen consecutive years. Only two cities in northwest Ohio have nineteen years to their credit. These are Bowling Green and Toledo. Tiffin is and can be an even greater oasis of greenery, coolness, color, and beauty in all seasons of the year. In addition, trees cleanse the air of carbon dioxide, an important air pollutant.
About three weeks ago, the graduation class of l949 came together in reunion and celebration during the Heidelberg Alumni Weekend. They marveled at the three Magnolias they had planted fifty years ago as a senior class gift to the College. They also participated in a ceremony at which a tri-colored beech was planted, honoring Heidelberg Alumni who had died during the past year. What a joy and pleasure to plant a tree, care for it, and see it grow and leave it for others to enjoy!
This past week during our survey of tree planting sites, three trees stood out. The first was what is perhaps the largest silver maple in Tiffin. It can be seen at 237 Charlotte Street, and it has a DBH of 56 inches. The second is a catalpa in full bloom, located at 414 Miami Street. Howard Hintz in a recent column said it has a DBH of 45 inches. The most interesting siting was two dawn redwoods, located at 21 Rebecca Street. The larger has a DBH of 36 inches and is 50 to 60 feet fall. This species, a native only to China, was discovered by foresters in the l940’s in Sichuan Province. The Arnold Arboretum received seeds in l948, and from these seeds, plants are now propagated and distributed over North America. They grow rapidly, shed their hemlock like needles in late fall, and add interesting fall coloration. They may grow to be 150 feet tall. These two trees on Rebecca Street are only about 25 years old!.
– Percy