As of Thursday morning the city has completed the removal of 20 Arizona Ash trees from esplanades on Center. The Certified Arborist on staff completed tree risk assessments on all these trees and they were found to be in various stages of rot and had damage from storms or from being hit by cars. The trees were located on various esplanades between Spencer Highway and Thirteenth Street.
According to the Arborist the Arizona Ash has a lifespan of about 40 years and the trees were all older than that age. Also, Arizona Ash trees are prone to what she called "summer branch drop."
“This means that at any given time, the branch can just fall for whatever reason. Combine that, and the amount of damage and rot they had, it was time for the trees to come down,” they said. "With the problems they already had, we didn't want the trees to pose even more problems.”
The Arizona Ash trees will be replaced by clusters of smaller trees or single large trees. The arborist said citizens will see Forest Pansy Red Buds, Splendor Silhouette Sweetgums, Drummond Red Maple, Little Gem Magnolias, Japanese Blueberry and Juniper trees. The replacement of the Ash trees being removed on Center Street will be complex. The arborist is planning on more clusters as opposed to the single trees spread out. Maintenance and visibility concerns were taken into consideration when choosing the replacement specimens. Also, hardiness, color and shape of the trees had to be taken into consideration. Trees were chosen based on the fact that their growth habit will keep them inside the esplanades and not hanging over traffic lanes creating hazards like the Ash trees. In addition to the trees the beautification beds will be completely overhauled. For more information and pictures of the removed ash trees visit our facebook page at www.facebook.com/deerparktx.parksandrecreation.
