Minutes from the November 27, 2012 meeting

Members Present:  Brenda Douce, Joe Laforest, Al Potts, and Jeannie Rigdon.
Visitor Present:  Duncan McClusky

1216 North College
The resident, Terri Sauls, felt the tree in the alley was full of beetles and asked about cutting it down.  Joe Laforest and other tree board members inspected the tree.  It is normal at this time of year to have pine needles dropping, the resin on the tree appeared old and there wasn’t much dead wood in the tree.  The board felt the tree was fine to be left.

823 Ridge Avenue Pecan Trees

The pecan trees are actually in front of the garage on 10^th Street.  The one tree closest to the road has some dead wood.  This tree is dying and should come out.  The pecan tree closest to the garage door is healthy and doesn’t need to come out.   This tree is however close to the house and this may not be a favorable position for the homeowner.   The board realizes it may be some time before the city removes the one tree near the road.  The board would suggest the homeowner has permission to remove both trees at their own expense. 

315 West 8^th Street
The third oak tree has a stub about 3 inches in diameter hanging over the road.  This is a danger to the road and should be removed.  The board suggested pruning out the dead wood. 
Old Anne Belle Clark School

The school system trimmed lower branches on trees along the back of the school property but left a large dead pine branch hanging over the entrance to the school and possibly near the Principal’s parking location. 

Tift Trees Blog Spot
All posts have been updated on the blog spot. 

City Responses
There was a question about the city responding back to the board to tell what was done with the tree board recommendations.  At this point the tree board doesn’t have any feedback.

ARBOR DAY

The Heritage Foundation has about $5700 in a fund that can be used to purchase trees for planting.  The funds don’t need to be used all at one time.  The Heritage Foundation would like to see the majority of the trees planted in the historic district.  Trees purchased with these funds would be planted in the right of way.  Trees should be planted in areas where the residents will take care of the trees. 

There have been some requests for trees to be planted on private land.  The city can’t transport trees that are purchased by individuals for their property.  The tree board discussed finding someone with a truck and trailer to pick up the trees or if the nursery will transport the trees to Tifton. 

Homeowners or business owners in the historic district will have until the second week in January to indicate whether they want a tree planted on their right of way.   Ideally the homeowners will assist in the planting of the trees.  The number of trees that individuals can purchase for their private property will be limited. 

If Dr. John Ruter is in town he will assist in reviewing the tree sites and recommendations for what species to plant in the location. 

The city will be contacted about doing the locates and digging the holes for the trees. 

KEEP TIFT BEAUTIFUL/TREE BOARD CHRISTMAS
There was some question if any of the Tree Board members would be able to attend the joint December meeting on December 11^th. 

Evaluation of oak at 1707 Belleview Avenue

This tree is next to the street and a fence post is located right next to the tree.  There are some dead branches in the tree but it is not one of the worst trees in the city.  The board recommended that the tree should be pruned and have the dead wood taken out.  The city employees will need to evaluate if they can access the dead wood with the equipment they have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evaluation of dogwood at 2001 N Central Ave

The tree board was asked to evaluate a dogwood at the corner of 20th and Central Avenue and determine if the homeowner can remove the tree.  The tree has some moderate dieback as do many of the dogwoods in the area.  The concrete sewer drain at the base of the tree has likely been limiting root development on that side of the tree.  Given the small stature of the tree it is manageable for a homeowner to handle on their own.  The poor location and dieback does make it a canidate for removal, but it is not a high priority.  The tree board approves the homeowners request to remove the tree at their expense or through their own efforts.

 

 

 

 

Minutes from the October 23, 2012 meeting

Board members present:  Brenda Douce, Joe Laforest, Al Potts, and Jeannie Rigdon.

Visitors present:  Duncan McClusky and Michael Mitchem.

TREE REVIEW

315 West 8^th Street. 

There was a request to review two oak trees and there are actually three oak trees.  One tree has a large hole at the base of the tree indicating a lack of support.  One tree has a nice mushroom growing on the tree indicating decaying wood.  There are holes in the canopy, dead branches visible in the trees, and cavities in the tree visible.  The board voted to remove the two trees.  The third tree will be reviewed and a decision made regarding this tree. 

Pecan trees by carport at 823 Ridge Avenue.

The pecan trees are blocking access to a garage separate from the house.  They were marked at one time with orange ribbons but Joe didn’t see the ribbons.  The trees will be remarked and Joe will look at them. 

Dogwood at 20^th Street and Central Avenue.  Across from Noah’s Ark. 

This tree can be taken down.  It is not a priority for the city as it is not as much of a risk as other trees currently on te removal list.

Dogwood at 8^th Street and Murray Avenue. 

Some question if this tree is on the right of way.  It will be examined.

YARD DEBRIS REMOVAL

Ricky Hobby should be contacted for clarification regarding yard debris left beside the road in the city.  Evidently one pile was left beside the street for two months before a citizen removed the pile. 

TREE CLASSES

One local business owner has indicated an interest in hosting classes for tree care including the climbing of trees to remove them.  The business owner would publicize the classes in Albany and Valdosta as well. 

PINE TREE

Al Potts was contacted regarding a pine tree that is oozing a white substance about head height, has a number of flies and yellow jackets around it and is making noises like water leaking out of a pinhole in a hose.  Al and Joe reviewed the tree and found the pine tree appeared to be a healthy tree except for these problems.  The tree is not on the right of way.  Further investigations are going on to see what is causing the conditions with the tree.

RIGHT OF WAY QUESTIONS

Anyone with right of way questions can call Crystal at 391-3944. 

BEST PINE TREE SPECIES

There was a question regarding the best pine tree species to plant and Al Potts suggested the longleaf pine tree.  There was a question then about the range where these trees can grow.

CITY TREE PLANTING

There was a question about a city tree planting event in February.  The Tree Board blog has allowed citizens to request a tree be planted on the right of way on their property and no one has responded yet.  The board discussed how to publicize this event.  The Historic District will be providing funding to pay for trees so many of the trees may be planted in the historic district.

ARBOR DAY

Arbor Day is the third Friday in February and it is time to recertify for the 21^st year as a tree city.  The paperwork needs to be completed by November 15^th.  The peanut commission will be contacted about having a ceremonial tree planting for Arbor Day on their property. 

Trees by 315 West 8th

Annette Rigdon Swan  has requested that the tree board look at the two oaks at 315 W 8th Street. They are the two closest to her drive. (They may already be on the list of trees to remove.) She is afraid to go out to get her paper because the trees are continuously dropping branches.

On evaluation of the trees, it is recommended that both trees be removed.  The tree closest to the drive has a large hollow at the base on the side toward the road. Toward the drive, there is a fresh mushroom growing on the base indicating a column of decay in this section.  The crown of the tree features many large cavities and dead branches. 

The second tree has a apparently sound trunk, but has significant dieback in the crown with several dead limbs over the road.  It is expected that the tree will continue to decline and should be removed before it poses a greater risk.

Minutes from the August 28, 2012 meeting

August 28, 2012

Board Members Present:  Brenda Douce, Joe Laforest, Al Potts, and Jeannie Rigdon.

Visitors Present:  Duncan McClusky and Michael Mitchem.

TREE REVIEW    

1707 Belleview Avenue

This tree is next to the street and a fence post is located right next to the tree.  There are some dead branches in the tree but it is not one of the worst trees in the city.  The board recommended that the tree should be pruned and have the dead wood taken out.  The city employees will need to evaluate if they can access the dead wood with the equipment they have.

There was a question if the city would allow an employee to be trained in climbing a tree to remove dead wood.  Joe Laforest is certified and can train the employee in this procedure. 

820 North Park

There was a call about two oak trees on north Park.  The board visited the site.  One tree has dead wood and should be removed.  The second tree has a large branch extending over the road with two large decaying areas on either side of the branch.  For this reason the board would recommend removing this tree as well.  Across the street there is another tree without a single leaf on it. 

PROBLEM TREES

There are over 200 trees that have been identified during the Davey Tree inventories that should be removed and are still standing.  A pine tree may be removed in a half day and a large oak tree may take up to three days to remove.  City employees work on removing these problem trees when their schedule permits. 

RIGHT OF WAY

The right of way is measured from the center of the road and can vary in distance.  A general rule of thumb is where the water meters or the power lines are.  These usually mark the end of the right of way.

Did you know?

According to the US Department of Agriculture, "the net cooling effect of a young healthy tree is equivalent to ten room size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day." Save money- plant a tree!

Planning for Arbor Day 2013

Georgia's Arbor Day 2013 will be Friday, February 15th.  The Tifton/Tift County Tree Board is planning a large community tree planting to celebrate!  We need your help to make this happen.  If you are willing to take care of a tree planted on your tree lawn or are interested in purchasing trees as part of the community tree planting, let us know.  You can e-mail the tree board, comment on this post, or contact us on Facebook and we'll get in touch to find out where you'd like to see trees and where you can help us get them established.

Minutes from the May 22, 2012 meeting

Board Members Present:  Brenda Douce, Joe Laforest, Danny McLaren [ex-officio], Al Potts, and Jeannie Rigdon.

Visitors Present:  Dr. David Bridges [President of ABAC], Roger C. Dill [President ABAC Foundation], Duncan McClusky,   Melvin L. Merrill [ABAC Foundation], Ashley Mock [ABAC Public Relations Director], and Michael Murphy [arborist].

TIFTS TREES
Al Potts has posted a message on the blog.  Joe Laforest may post the meeting notes to the blog. 

TIFTON CODES
The current codes are being reviewed and this board may be provided an opportunity to list trees that should be used around newly constructed buildings.

BOARD BYLAWS
Larry Riner has requested a copy of the Tree Board Bylaws.  No one present knew of any bylaws for the board.  There is a section in the city codes about the board. 

TREES
The oak tree in front of the zero energy house needs removal. 
Plans are being formulated to enlarge the Fulwood Park playground and some trees will need to be removed. 

ABAC HISTORY
The majority of the meeting was utilized to discuss landscape plans for the ABAC Campus.
ABAC started in 1906 when legislation set up a mechanical and agricultural high school.  The Second Congressional District A &M School opened in February 1908.  Three of the four original campus buildings are still standing in the front of the campus.  Lewis Hall and Herring Hall were closed in the 1980’s and Tift Hall was closed in 2007.  The historic front of the campus is being restored to its early beginnings and Tift Hall was opened again last week.  The first floor of the Tift Building will essentially be a museum presenting the history of the campus.  $17 million has been spent on restorations.  The state has been generous and one reason for the generosity may be the three original buildings. 

RESTORATION STUDY
Several years ago Pratt Cassity from the UGA College of Environment and Design visited the campus with several graduate students.  They evaluated the campus and held town hall meetings to work on a design for the campus.  In the process all the trees and vegetation on campus was reviewed.  There were green spaces on campus.  Behind the three original buildings there are green areas with a wavy line of plants at the end of the open spaces.  This landscaping was considered in the campus plan. 

FRONT LAWN
A parking lot was put in front of the three buildings at some point in history.  The plans are to remove the majority of the parking in the front of the buildings.  A berm will hide the few parking spaces that would be left in the front of the campus.  The sightline coming down the RDC Road will be of the buildings and the flag pole is on top of the Tift Building.   There will be a grand front lawn in front of the campus.  This front lawn will provide space for an outdoor graduation ceremony or to host other events. 

The lawn nearest Moore Highway will be Tiftblair Centipede Grass which was developed by Dr. Wayne Hanna.  The next turf will be Tifgrand Bermuda grass which is a sports field turf that is shade tolerant.  Closest to the campus will be an Emerald Zoysia grass separated by granite appearing concrete.  All three grasses were developed by the University of Georgia Tifton Campus. 
This fall rye grass will be planted in front of the buildings.  Trees will be planted in the winter and in late spring the permanent grasses will be planted. 

Live Oak trees will be selected for the front as well. 

RDC ROAD
In the 1980’s plans were set up to make the RDC Road a four lane road.  The land was graded but due to funding the work was never completed.  The other two lanes will be added with a 15 foot wide median in between.   The median will be city right of way land.  The Department of Transportation and the City of Tifton will fund the widening of this road.  This will be a beautiful approach to the ABAC Campus, the UGA Tifton Campus and to the UGA Conference Center.  One signature is needed from the railroad before this work can begin.
There was some discussion about providing water to the median and what plants would be planted in this area.  There are no current landscaping plans for this area. 

TREE EVALUATION
Mr. Murphy, a certified arborist, has been working on campus for over two years.  Mr. Murphy has worked with trees in the cities of Charleston and Savannah.  He has studied oak trees over the past 18 years.   He has found many of the laurel and water oak trees on the ABAC Campus are hollow and need to be removed. 

There are palm trees in the front of campus and these may have been planted as part of the original campus.  These trees will stay.  There is a black walnut tree in front of the nursing building and it is the only black walnut tree on campus so it will remain. 

Safety is a primary concern for the landscaping work.  Trees that need to be removed will be done by people experienced in this work. 

All vegetation on campus has been mapped and plotted with GIS.  The landscaping plan has been developed for the campus to show what plants will be planted where.  Plants that are not wanted will be removed.  There are a couple large crape myrtle trees on campus that may be left from the original campus and they will remain. 

SUSTAINABILITY
There was a question regarding the sustainability of the landscaping.  Two offices, one in Tallahassee and one in South Carolina will work on the pruning.  Melvin Merrill will have a maintenance plan to follow.  The idea is to use low maintenance plants.    Mr. Murphy will be available to contract with if the need arises. 

ABAC STRATEGIC PLAN
The last five year campus strategic plan was completed in 2007 and is in the process of running out now.   The key component of this plan was to make the college a place that students would choose to attend.  The campus appeal was important.   There have been vast improvements in the grounds.  A lot of resources have gone into the campus. 

PARKING LOTS
The campus has large open parking lots.  It is not a capital investment priority to have these parking lots redone with vegetative areas. 

TREES FOR FRONT
The trees in front need to be uniform and to come from nursery stock. 

TREE CAMPUS
The Georgia Forestry Commission will be reviewing campuses for Tree Campus Certification and this requires students to be involved in the work.  The removal of trees is a liability and safety issue so it won’t be good for students to be involved in this work. 

MANAGEMENT
All work is being coordinated through the Physical Plant and it is being planned to minimize disruptions to the campus.  J. T. Turner Construction Co. from Savannah, Georgia and another company [Greenline ?] are handling the work. 

GIS DATABASE
The ABAC Campus has a 20+ layer GIS database locating utilities, buildings, and trees on campus.  The campus is moving to make this information available on a mobile platform.  Joe Laforest suggested tying the city Tree Keeper software with the ABAC system. 

DITCH
There is a ditch on Moore Highway near the nursing building.  It is parallel and perpendicular to the road and seems to be getting worse.  Some thought is being given on how to deal with this. 
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA TREE FOUNDATION
The University of Georgia manages a program for the University System of Georgia to access donated plants from various nurseries in the state.  ABAC can access this database and request free plants. 

WOOD
The wood from the trees that are cut down will be evaluated.  Some will be cut up for firewood to be used by the Georgia Museum of Agriculture.  Some will be mulched and left to decay before use on campus.  The campus will salvage what they can.  Joe Laforest suggested contacting turners who might want to use the wood. 

MEMORIAL TREES
The ABAC Campus doesn’t plant memorial trees anymore.
The discussion about the ABAC landscaping plans ended and the Tree Board discussed another issue.

ARBOR DAY
Jeannie Rigdon suggested holding a community tree planting event for Arbor Day where a large number of trees would be planted.  There was some discussion about where to plant the trees, paying for locates to mark underground utilities, and how large the event could be.  There was also a concern about paying for the event.  A 3.5 inch oak tree costs $150 apiece. 

One suggestion was to talk to various civic groups to see how many would participate in the event.  Then to have one tree to plant for each group.  Another idea was to talk to homeowners along selected streets and see if they would agree to adopt a tree planted in the right of way in front of their house. 

TREE DAMAGE
Can the city put in a code indicating that anyone damaging or removing a right of way tree would be penalized?  People would express their views on this code to the code enforcement officers and not to the Tree Board. 

Debris Burning

Debris burning is the #1 cause of wildfires. It accounts for over 50% of all wildfires in Georgia. All debris burning requires a permit with the exception of agriculture fields and pastures that only require notification. The burning of household garbage is prohibited and not permitted by the Georgia Forestry Commission. Also burning inside the city limits of Tifton is prohibited. A major cause of debris burn wildfires is not obtaining a burn permit and burning with improper weather conditions. Permits are good for one day and can be obtained by calling 1-877-652-2876 or by logging onto www.gatrees.org . For more information please contact the local Tift County Forestry Unit at 229-386-3346.

Al K. Potts
Chief Ranger/Forester Technician

Landscape Design Reflects Zero-Energy House Theme

In sync with the zero-energy theme of the ‘Green House’ going up at 403 N. Park Avenue, landscape architect Stephen Rakestraw has offered a design which features native and edible plants arranged to provide beauty, diversity, character and privacy to the emerging home. Following the energy-conservation lead, water use will also receive detailed attention.

A rainwater catchment system will provide most of the irrigation needs. The natural slope of the lot from west to east (front to back of the house) will be carefully shaped to enhance the flow, pooling and storage of the rainwater. A vegetable garden, along with blueberries and pineapple guava trees will flourish even during dry spells, as a pump and cistern system designed to dispense captured water will stand at the ready.

Volunteering along with Rakestraw are two UGA experts, John Ruter and Joe LaForest. Dr Ruter, a leading UGA ornamental horticulturist, will select and help secure the plants. LaForest, a certified arborist and president of the Tifton Tree Board, will oversee any pruning of the existing trees needed to maximize sun exposure to the energy-producing roof photovoltaics, while protecting the magnificent swamp chestnut oak and sycamore which reign over the property. He will also guide new tree plantings and care.

Green House Project director Tony Grahame – America’s #1 Green Builder – enthusiastically embraced Rakestraw’s plan. Also present were representatives from the Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence, which owns the house.

Members of the Foundation’s ‘Green House Committee’ attending were Frankie Mathis, Mike Davis and Bill Jackson. President Marianna Keesee and Executive Director Mike Brumby were also there to receive the landscape plan. Historic Preservation Charter President Charles Styer, who has photo-chronicled every phase of the construction, was on hand to capture the occasion.

Photo by Charles Styer

Planting at City Hall with the Girl Scouts

Mr. Gary Hawkins with the Girl Scouts and KTB will be planting flowers, herbs and vegetables at City Hall on Saturday the 14^th of April at 10:00 A.M.

Trees by Allen Pritchett and Bassett

The Tree Board was recently asked to look at the trees in front of Allen, Prichett, and Basset.  There are 5 oaks and a magnolia on the site.  All of the trees have extensive decay and have previouly lost sections.  The Tree Board has recommended removal of these trees and will be developing a recommendation of trees to replace them.

BugwoodBlog: Give us your Oak Caterpillars!!!

Give us your Oak Caterpillars!!!: Researchers at the University of Georgia are initiating a regional-level study on oak caterpillar outbreaks in the southeastern U.S. Our project objectives are to better understand the ecology and distribution of caterpillars feeding on oak trees in early spring, and to provide guidance on management of caterpillars.

Click the link above to find out how you can submit your caterpillars to the project!

Electronics Recycling

Every year, the city arranges for electronics recycling.  It is coming up THIS WEEKEND, Saturday, March 24th from 9:00AM to 11:00AM at the Kato Knight Parking lot (downtown by the old city hall and the tank).  Bring TVs, old monitors, VCRs...pretty much ANY old electronics that you want to get out of the house.  It saves it from going to the landfill and is a great excuse to unload stuff that's just taking up space.

Remember...trees have roots!

Something often overlooked when deciding what tree to plant is the fact that trees have roots!  These are vital for nutrient and water uptake as well as anchoring the tree in the ground.  The new rule of thumb that has been developed is 2 cubic feet of soil for every 1 square foot of tree canopy. 

That ratio is a little abstract, so here's a few numbers:

• A tree with a 60’ spread has an area of about 2,800 square feet. 
• You are looking at 5,600 cubic feet of soil.  Assuming a soil depth of 18” in an urban planting, that would mean a 42' circle of unobstructed space.

So what happens if you don't give it that space?  The tree will grow as large as is can in the space provided.  When the roots fill the space provided, they either find new space to move into or the tree starts to suffer from insufficient resources.  Without additional care, the tree will begin to show signs of stress which can predispose the tree to decline and other damage agents. 

To make a lasting investment in developing a landscape, we have to consider all directions that the trees will grow, even the ones that are normally hidden.

Deciding what to plant

I've added two guides on trees for South Georgia under the "Helpful links" section.  They are called "Trees and Shrubs for Landscaping in South Georgia" and "Tifton/Tift County Recommended trees and shrubs". We are rapidly running out of time to plant trees while they are dormant, but they may help in starting your plans for next year.  These were published a while ago and we are planning to make an update, but they are still useful in figuring out some of the trees and shrubs that may do well in your landscape.  Look for more posts under the 'Tree Selection' topic for future information on choosing the right tree for the right spot.

Enhancing flowering through pruning

Recently I've seen a few people out pruning some of there flowering shrubs.  While I applaud the effort, this may be reducing the amount of flowering that you'll see this year.  Azaleas and other plants that flower on "Old wood" or last season's growth are best pruned after flowering.  This way, the plant can spend all spring and part of summer growing new twigs and stems that will hold next years flowers. 

Photo by Joseph LaForest, Bugwood.org

Spring is here!

Spring is definitely coming on fast.  As many of you work on your spring cleanup, it's a good time to take a good look at your trees for scale problems.  Scale insects suck the sap of the plant, draining it of the energy it needs.  Soft scales can be extremely problematic as they excrete a sugary substance called honeydew.  It's a nice name for liquid bug poo.  It's a food source that sooty mold loves and homeowners dread for the black, fuzzy blanket that it creates. 

If you find your plants affected by a soft scale that produces honeydew, there are several products containing imidachloprid, including Bayer Tree and Shrub.  They are applied at the soil surface and are taken up by the trees roots.  The chemical is taken to the branches, twigs, and leaves where the scale is feeding.  Unfortunately, it takes a while (up to 6 weeks) for the product to take full effect since it has to move through the tree.  Treating now, will help to get the chemical in place for when the young scales start feeding.

Adult Scales photographed by James Solomon, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org