HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-06-28 Arborist CommentsJulie Hultman
From: kdwidin@comcastnet
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2004 12:04 PM
To: Julie Hultman; Dennis Post ler; Eric A. Johnson; Jim Butler; Scott Richards; Jay Johnson; Mark
Vier ling
Subject: Menard's Landscaping
OPH Staff -
Recently I met with a Menard's representative at the OPH store site to discuss landscaping issues related to their
proposed expansion project. We reviewed the existing landscape trees and discussed replacement and mulching. We
also discussed the condition of trees on the west side of the existing building and whether or not some of those trees
could be transplanted to the south side of the building. The following points summarize our inspection and discussion:
1. 9 flowering crabapples (cultivar "Sinai Fire") on the north side of the building next to the roadway in front of the
building are dead or dying. The planting sites are small and the site is exposed; however, de-icing salts are probably the
major culprit in the poor growth of these trees. I recommend that these 9 trees be replaced with Japanese tree lilacs
(cultivar "Ivory Silk") due to the tolerance of these trees to de-icing salts.
2. On the east side of the building, I flagged 5 spruce in poor condition to be replaced and 1 missing spruce to be re-
planted.
3. On the south side of the building, I flagged 17 spruce in poor condition to be replaced and 1 missing spruce to be re-
planted.
4. The spruce should be replaced with 10-12 foot white spruce (cultivar "Black Hills")
5. All existing spruce, and additional ones to be planted, should be mulched with 4-6 inches of wood chip mulch from just
outside the trunk to the branch spread of the trees. Mulching will improve the soil conditions for the root systems and
trees will grow and tolerate drought conditions better. Existing turf should be carefully removed with very shallow cuts
prior to installation of mulch. There is no need for landscape fabric or plastic under the mulch.
6. Any vines and volunteer deciduous trees growing in and among the spruce should be removed.
7. Spruce on the west side just next to the building, and also those in the field west of the building are in poor condition
or have poor form. Most of these trees would not be suitable for transplanting. I recommend that the new landscape
spruce proposed for the east or south sides of the building consist of new trees.
8. With the replacement of crabapples and spruce in poor condition and the planting of approximately 20 additional
spruce as part of the expansion project, there is no additional tree replacement required for this project.
If you have any questions regarding this memo, please contact me.
Kathy Widin
OPH Arborist
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