Editorial: Street trees as urban gardens

Ample rain and warm temperatures have brought an early spring to our area. The trees are beginning to get green as this year’s leaves emerge from hiding and we can already see evidence of wildflowers popping up along our urban sidewalks and meadows. If last year is any indication, it’s going to be a hot summer and the shade thrown across our streets and sidewalks will provide respite and cooling comfort in the sunny months ahead.

Preserving and protecting Sonoma’s trees is an ongoing effort. Like all living things, trees grow and respond to their environment. They send out roots in search of water and branches grow in ways intended to gather the most sunlight. If injured, trees do their best to heal, but sometimes the results include structural defects or awkward appearance.

In an urban environment like Sonoma, trees sometimes come into conflict with man-made infrastructure; roots lift sidewalks and branches invade power lines. When such conflicts become major, concrete needs to be repaired, tree roots and branches pruned. In extreme cases, trees prompt removal and replacement.

The oak trees lining Broadway, planted in 1992, provide a good example of the ways living and non-living things come into conflict. Though current study indicates the trees are growing at half their normal rate due to the space constraints created by concrete, they continue to thrive nonetheless. A city approved arborist is developing a set of protocols to preserve the trees while minimizing damage to the sidewalks. There is a bit more study to be done but we’re confident the outcome will establish the necessary balance between the oak trees and the concrete.

Sonoma is blessed with many trees, but the activity of its Tree Committee inevitably and regularly includes approval of requests to remove street trees. Over time, certain types of trees have indeed proven themselves to be poor street trees. Tastes and trends have sometimes dictated street tree selection rather than growth characteristics. The same can be said for sidewalks and planting strips; creative solutions are too rarely used. Proper understanding of planting conditions and tree growth habits goes a long way to preventing problems down the line, which in the case of trees often means 100 or 200 years, or longer.

Trees are too often seen simply as “things,” yet they comprise a living, breathing network which connects wildlife, aquifers, surface water, and the quality of the air we breathe. The removal of a tree may seem ordinary and routine, but in actuality its effects ripple throughout our urban landscape as wind patterns, nesting and wildlife corridors change. Any living thing which finds its place and grows, sometimes for hundreds of years, deserves our respect, and that respect includes making reasonable accommodation to its particularities. Sometimes tearing out concrete makes more sense than tearing out a tree.

Like any living organism, trees have a lifespan. The glorious Elm tree removed from the north side of the Plaza after a large branch fell into Spain Street was a terrible loss, and happened without any ritual or special recognition. Having spread its arms and blessed us with its bounteous shade for well over 100 years, that great elm deserved something more in passing.

By honoring our trees, we honor the gifts bestowed upon us by nature.

SUN Editorial Board