City won't let us replace our parkway tree (vent)

[FINFAN]

We have the same problem, Pam, with a gigantic silver maple, a junk tree, one step up from the worst, a willow tree. I would like to hear from somebody who knows how to poison it to kill it.

I'll look into it for you Dan....Chicago winter's take out about everything but parkway trees, lol.

 

[Iya]

The city recently cut down our ash tree and others too on the street because of some worm infestation. They are cutting them down all through the area.

Probably emerald ash borer. It is a huge problem in our area of the country.

 

[Poohforyou]

the tree on the grass area between the sidewalk and the street (if your neighborhood has sidewalks) It is usually city owned yet the homeowner cares for it and can plant etc on it.

Here a parkway is a highway with grassy median. Regarding trees on what you call a parkway, no the town is responsible for them.

 

[FINFAN]

I have never heard of such a thing! Don't the roots tear up the sidewalk eventually? Where we live there are no trees in that area (which we call the easement or berm) - sometimes people will brick it up or plant liriopes there, but the town has the right to tear them up if there's a utility fix needed and not replace them. Ours is grass.

most easements where I live are in the back..between the 2 backyards butting up. That's another fun one as many think they can put their fences up to the end of the easement, not the end of the property line.Most cable boxes are also in the back corners and cables run underground from back house corner to back yard corner. It can be fairly challenging to want to landscape at times.

 

[FINFAN]

The city recently cut down our ash tree and others too on the street because of some worm infestation. They are cutting them down all through the area.

wonder if those worms do damage to honey locust trees......

 

[cabanafrau]

wonder if those worms do damage to honey locust trees......

I don't know what they've uncovered about the ash borer in the past few years, but I do know that since it decimated the ash trees in our region many other tree species have been vulnerable to a variety of other problems, I believe pest and disease related. The tree canopy in SE Michigan has definitely changed quite a bit in the last several years.

I understand your frustrations, having a front boulevard with two 60+ year old maples in our front yard (working their way towards their spring red bud drop as I type), but be careful what you wish for. Our neighborhood has been locally known for its tree lined streets, but it's been a little sad and a huge change to watch as the numbers have dropped quite a bit in the last five or so years as various tree maladies have taken their toll in the years since the ash borer first cleared out the ash trees.

 

[dish rag]

wonder if those worms do damage to honey locust trees......

wonder if those worms do damage to honey locust trees......

I'm not sure, it's in Ontario Canada. Maybe there is a way for you to look it up. Last weekend we were hiking in the woods in Elora Ont. and saw many, many trees freshly felled. It was sad really for us. There were so many I was shocked by it.

 

[cabanafrau]

I'm not sure, it's in Ontario Canada. Maybe there is a way for you to look it up. Last weekend we were hiking in the woods in Elora Ont. and saw many, many trees freshly felled. It was sad really for us. There were so many I was shocked by it.

It is very sad to see. It really leaves ugliness in its wake.

 

[FINFAN]

I don't know what they've uncovered about the ash borer in the past few years, but I do know that since it decimated the ash trees in our region many other tree species have been vulnerable to a variety of other problems, I believe pest and disease related. The tree canopy in SE Michigan has definitely changed quite a bit in the last several years.

I understand your frustrations, having a front boulevard with two 60+ year old maples in our front yard (working their way towards their spring red bud drop as I type), but be careful what you wish for. Our neighborhood has been locally known for its tree lined streets, but it's been a little sad and a huge change to watch as the numbers have dropped quite a bit in the last five or so years as various tree maladies have taken their toll in the years since the ash borer first cleared out the ash trees.

the town has addressed and replaced all emerald ash trees here..the removal program requires replacement within a year, so while smaller, jr trees are the "look" for a while, there are still 1-2 trees for each house. Not too worried about the landscape changing but I get your point. The landscape looking disheveled and scraggly , over shading a house/property is also a negative visually.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I was thrown by your terminology too. Around here, a parkway is a road; what you’re talking about, I’d call a curb strip or median.

Our town maintains those trees, and trims them at least annually. Some of them interfere with power lines and have to be cut back significantly. Not sure what the law is, but I know there were none in front of my neighbors’ house and they requested that two be planted, a few years ago. I think if they are damaging the sidewalk, the town will remove them and replace if you want, but the homeowner is responsible for repaving the sidewalk.

In your case, I don’t know what to say, but I think I would go ahead and at least trim it back. Here you are allowed to trim any part of a neighbor’s tree that overhangs your property; seems that should apply to the town’s trees as well. And really, how would they know (if they only look at them every 7 years)? Seems like you’d be doing them a favor by taking on that expense.

 

[cabanafrau]

the town has addressed and replaced all emerald ash trees here..the removal program requires replacement within a year, so while smaller, jr trees are the "look" for a while, there are still 1-2 trees for each house. Not too worried about the landscape changing but I get your point. The landscape looking disheveled and scraggly , over shading a house/property is also a negative visually.

I get your point, having dealt with the misery of a nextdoor neighbor's 50+ year old King Crimson maple for years and continuing to deal with the consequences of the one close by neighbor who won't clean up leaves having nine 60+ year old maples in front and side yards on the wrong side of the prevailing winds from us. I'm just suggesting that a pest or disease probably isn't the best thing to hope for. Homes in our immediate area are known to benefit from a boost in value because of the tree lined streets and tended yards. There's concern brewing because very recently many trees have had to be removed because of pests and diseases that can't be controlled -- all of which comes in the wake of losing the ash trees in the years prior.

Maybe try keeping a lot of photographic evidence throughout the growing season and appealing to your city or town on the basis of damage to property value, yours and those of your neighbors, because of your nuisance tree. Keep your wheel squeaking long and hard enough and they just may cave because of your nuisance value. Pester your town or city council members.

 

[nkereina]

I'm sorry if I missed this, but what's the penalty if you cut it down and replaced it with an acceptable tree? Will the city fine you? Unless the fine is exorbitant, I might take my chances. I would think the city has bigger fish to fry than monitoring which tree is where.

 

[FINFAN]

I was thrown by your terminology too. Around here, a parkway is a road; what you’re talking about, I’d call a curb strip or median.

Our town maintains those trees, and trims them at least annually. Some of them interfere with power lines and have to be cut back significantly. Not sure what the law is, but I know there were none in front of my neighbors’ house and they requested that two be planted, a few years ago. I think if they are damaging the sidewalk, the town will remove them and replace if you want, but the homeowner is responsible for repaving the sidewalk.

In your case, I don’t know what to say, but I think I would go ahead and at least trim it back. Here you are allowed to trim any part of a neighbor’s tree that overhangs your property; seems that should apply to the town’s trees as well. And really, how would they know (if they only look at them every 7 years)? Seems like you’d be doing them a favor by taking on that expense.

thing is, the part that we could get away with trimming, we need a cherry picker to reach. No tree service will do it because they know the law of not being allowed to trim them. At least the 8 different places we have tried have said that, including the one who we used to remove the other trees that was crowded out. They will only trim the skinny shoots that grow every spring. Really hoping for spring to help me out~ just might attach a lightening rod to it

 

[FINFAN]

I'm sorry if I missed this, but what's the penalty if you cut it down and replaced it with an acceptable tree? Will the city fine you? Unless the fine is exorbitant, I might take my chances. I would think the city has bigger fish to fry than monitoring which tree is where.

the exact monetary amount is not divuldged, but a $1500 permit bond is listed. that would be double as for removal, and then for replacement IF they decided to pursue. Like I said, my DH is by the book so he is not on board for us slealthing in the middle of the night, lol...but if Mother Nature were involved, it's ok.

 

[Dan Murphy]

my DH is by the book so he is not on board for us slealthing in the middle of the night, lol...but if Mother Nature were involved, it's ok.

Does Mother Nature have poison?

 

[FINFAN]

Does Mother Nature have poison?

With a little assistance, perhap's.......

 

[Owlpost23]

We have the same problem, Pam, with a gigantic silver maple, a junk tree, one step up from the worst, a willow tree. I would like to hear from somebody who knows how to poison it to kill it.

We have a monster of a silver maple in our yard,too.Never seen a tree be so generous in my life,if it's not little berry-like leavings,it's helicopters,leaves,AND loads of branches.It's buckling the cement,and extremely close to our shed,but I dread finding out how much it would cost to take down.

 

[Owlpost23]

Does your town/city have control over your parkway tree? When we built our home we had no say so over the choice of parkway tree going in. The city stuck us with a honey locust. It's 25 year's old, massive, ugly , messy, clogs sewer drains and shades the entire front lawn from 11 am-3.We have already replaced the sidewalk in front from roots cracking it . It is growing over the sidewalk and half way up the lawn into our neighbors river birch along their driveway (to be fair, they do not have it trimmed back off our property line, look at me like a deer in headlights when I bring it up). Our neighbors tree is to the west side, shading our entire front lawn except for the last foot by the sidewalk~ all late afternoon into evening. Our town deems the tree healthy and in "fine shaping" thus not allowing us to replace it with a tree of smaller stature & smaller mature growth.The city only trims every 7 years and they declined my request to re-look at it for trimming again. We are not allowed to trim it back as the parkway is "city property" so we can't even catch a break there.The town has an acceptable tree list that you choose a replacement from and there are several that would be a vast improvement. The current tree is a detriment to our curb appeal as well.I am being held hostage by the town and it ticks me off. I just want some sun to reach our lawn. I pray every spring for a bolt of lightening to hit the dumb thing or for our neighbors to cut down their birch. We have already cut down one tree that the birch encroached on and over shaded. I can't put any flowers that need sun, our back yard faces N so limited choices there as well. It's depressing and claustrophobic. You drive down our street and everyone has beautiful emerald green, sunny lawns and then our place, looking like the Munster's dark and shady. We have neighbor's comment that it is the ugliest tree in the neighborhood, insinuating.."do something about it", and I can't! Been trying for 4 years. Ugggghhhhhhhhhh! It is just absolutely ridiculous that if a homeowner s willing to pay the cost of tree removal and replacement, choosing a tree from an approved list , that they cannot do so.

As you know we live in the same town,Finfan.The trees in our front yard are under the power lines,so they were "sculpted" into an awkward,unattractive way.There's no thought of aesthetics-they just hack away.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The city recently cut down our ash tree and others too on the street because of some worm infestation. They are cutting them down all through the area.

If it is the emerald ash borer it's all over the U.S. too. Every year the news covers it in our area in the middle of the country because it's quite devestating. The treatments are expensive too (it my city it's listed as $120+ per tree every year for the life of the tree). I know cities in our area have done the same in cutting them down. Our area has a lot of ash trees too throughout the metro. Just on the MO side of the metro there was an estimated 4.6million ash trees. I don't know the numbers for the KS side of the metro which is where I live.

I actually looked it up and the information I was reading said before 2002 it wasn't in North America. Also the information said it can be found in "Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec, Canada."

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The city I live in doesn't have a specific tree they require but nor do we get a choice either. They just come around and plant it. They do require 2 trees planted on the easement (there might be a list of types of trees they use though). It's our responsibility once it is planted. We have maple trees in ours but our neighbor has something else. I believe maple is a more common one planted.

In a neighboring city where my in-laws are at their city will come and trim it (only on the side where it's over the street) once a year I believe. Our city doesn't do that but per our HOA we are to keep the street lamps clear of obstruction.