The mission of the Bowling Green Arborist is to provide a high
quality urban forestry program to the community, in conjunction with
expert advice on private tree care. The Arborist cares for the City
trees within the road right-of-way, as well as regular line clearance
tree trimming program for safe and reliable electricity.
The City of Bowling Green urban forest includes more than 8,300
trees in the public right-of-way, public parks, and green spaces. A
healthy and safe urban forest includes: wildlife diversity, higher
property values, air and water quality, storm water management, energy
savings from summer and winter extremes, and quality of human
health.
What's New in the Urban & Community Forestry Program:
August 2010
Frequently Asked Questions: Click here for more
information.
New Photos in Photo Gallery
Fungal Disease on Trees:
In 2010, we have seen a high level fungal leaf diseases with all the
spring rains and warmer weather. Typically most leaf disease are
minor and do not impact the tree or shrub. The leaves look
unaesthetic and make the tree or shrub look unhealthy. The tree
or shrub will push a new flush of leaves in mid July or early August to
replace the diseased leaves. Click
here for OSU
Extension Factsheet on Leaf Diseases.
Leaf Disease on Rhododendron
Leaf disease on dogwood.
Leaf disease on river birch.
Click
here for How to Maintain River Birch Trees
Maple Bladder Galls on Freeman Maple Tree.
Click here to
learn more about Maple Bladder Gall. This is a temporary condition and
does not harm the the tree.
Landscape Guide for Developers, Businesses and Home Owners
is now available to the public. Click
here for PDF copy.
Tree Service Request Click here.
2010 Spring Tree Planting:
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) tree planting started
on April 29, 2010 and will be competed by May 7, 2010. A total of
30 new tree will be planted CDBG designated areas in the city.
Twenty new trees will be planted on Conneaut Avenue to replace trees
removed for the new sewer line installation in April 2009. A
total of 50 new utility
compatible trees will be planted to replace large trees
that were removed from under the electric power lines. The
utility compatible trees will not grow taller than 25 feet and will not
require any pruning for the electric power lines.
Bagworms Sited in BG:
Bagworms are hatching and larval are in Instar 1 about 1/4 inch long
in the city. Bagworms can defoliate and cause tree mortality in
one season. Click here on more
information on how to control bagworm.
Buckeye Yard and Garden
Online: Buckeye Yard and Garden online provides
timely information about Ohio growing conditions, pest, disease, and
cultural problems. Updated weekly between April and October, this
information is useful for those who are managing a commercial nursery,
garden center, or landscape business or someone who just wants to keep
their yard looking good all summer.
Growing Degree Days and Phenology for
Ohio: Provides estimated dates of
when plants bloom and insect pests hatch throughout the growing
season.
AMERICAN NURSERY & LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION -
American Standard for Nursery Stock. Click here for more
information.
NEW - EMERALD ASH BORER (EAB) UNIVERSITY - FREE WEB-BASED
TRAINING PROGRAM ON EMERALD ASH BORER. Click here for to
register for new classes or view archived webinars.
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has reached epidemic populations levels in the
City of Bowling Green. Businesses and Home Owners should to have
their private ash trees inspected by the Municipal Arborist or a
Professional Tree Service to determine the options available for
managing EAB. Click here
for latest research on EAB insecticide treatments. Click here to determine the
percentage of canopy thinning on ash trees.
There is an Oyster Shell Scale insect outbreak in Bowling Green on
Freeman maple trees, elms, and honey locust. Small trees that are
4 inches in diameter or smaller are attacked and killed from the scale
insect. Click here for
more information on Oyster Shell Scale.
Improper pruning of a private tree. Note the tree was stubbed off
and does not have adequate foliage to maintain the tree. The tree
will go into decline and eventually will die back. The tree is
predisposed to insect and disease problems.
Tree City USA Awards Ceremony - April 21, 2010 in
Ottawa, Ohio
Honorable Mayor John Quinn accepted the 30th Consecutive Tree City
USA Award and 17th Consecutive Growth Award from Drew Todd, ODNR Urban
Forestry Coordinator at the Northwest Ohio Tree City USA Award Ceremony
in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Bowling Green Tree Commission members Tom
Striggow, Walt Ferrell, Dick Horton, and Jo Anne Searle attended the
ceremony. Public Works Director, Brian Craft, Public Works
Director, Public Works Supervisor, Kent Reichert, Public Works
Operators Adam Schoendorf and Dominic Picciuto and City Arborist, David
S. Bienemann attended the ceremony. Click here for more information
on Tree City USA and Arbor Day.
Arbor Day Celebration - April 27, 2010 with the
Bowling Green Christian Academy
The City of Bowling Green and Bowling Green Tree Commission
celebrated Arbor Day with the Bowling Green Christian Academy 3rd, 4th,
and 5 th Grade students. The National Arbor Day Foundation
Poster contest winners were as follows: 1st Place with $30 in Downtown
Bucks - Rebecca O'Hare, 2nd Place with $20 in Downtown Bucks - Lexie
Palmer and 3rd Place with $10 in Downtown Bucks - Kathryn Fyfe.
All students received a certificate of participation, free tree
seedling, pencils, stickers, and tree planting brochures from the
National Arbor Day Foundation. The Montessori School received an
Arbor Day Video, Global Warming Posters, and handouts for future Arbor
Day classes. Click here for more
information on Arbor Day Celebration.
The Ohio State University EAB Research Team on June 5,
2009.
The Ohio State University (OSU) with cooperation from the City of
Bowling Green are working on a three year research project to
determine the genetics that make ash trees from Asia and Europe
resistant to Emerald Ash Borer. Click
here for more information.
Pictures above from Country Club Drive after routine
maintenance pruning (Linden on left and Locust on right).
Routine Maintenance Pruning
Routine Maintenance trees are defined as trees recommended for
horticultural pruning to correct structural problems or growth patterns
which could eventually obstruct traffic, pedestrians walking
on sidewalks, interfere with utility lines, or buildings.
Trees in this category are large enough to require bucket truck
access or manual climbing. Our crews prune a maximum
of 25% of the canopy from the trees. We will move into Ward
3 (South of W. Wooster and East of S. Main) in 2009.
Picture above shows the S-shaped galleries left by the
Emerald Ash Borer larvae.
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) spreads throughout the City Of
Bowling Green.
The numbers of trees identified as infested with Emerald Ash Borer
has increased significantly throughout Bowling Green. The City is
taking pro-active measures to deal with EAB and now is encouraging
citizens with ash trees to consider future actions for their
trees.
Bowling Green residents and businesses are encouraged to
consider options for managing ash trees. Two primary options
available: removal/replacement or insecticide treatment. Removal
and replacement prior to infestation is the most cost effective
option. Dead and dying frequently cost 2-3 times more to remove
than live trees due to unpredictable nature of dead wood. The
risks to surrounding structures and to the lives of qualified arborists
who remove these hazardous trees is a major factor in
the cost. For tips on hiring an arborist, visit http://www.treesaregood.org/
for a consumer guide How to Hire and Arborist.
Systemic insecticides may be an option to prolong the life of highly
valued ash trees prior to infestation. The Ohio State University
Extension Office has developed specific recommendations on
insecticides. Click here
for more information. While insecticide products are not 100%
effective and are preventative measures, it is an EAB management
option.
ODOT Certified Training
The Public Works Division staff, Electric Division staff, and Parks
& Recreation Department staff attended safety training in aerial
bucket truck operations, chainsaw operations, and chipper
operations. Our goal is to provide the best service to the
residents of Bowling Green and our urban forest.
City Tree
Planting in Green Spaces:
Our Tree City USA Program has planted over 1700 trees from
May 2004 through May 2009. The goal is to plant the "Right Tree
in the Right Place" by selecting trees that fit the planting site based
on soil type, drainage, infrastructure (power lines, gas lines, water
& sewer lines), visibility triangle and long-term capital
improvement projects. The City Arborist coordinates with multiple
City Departments to include the preservation of trees or tree
replacement programs to maintain the canopy effect. All new
subdivisions and new business plans are now reviewed by the City
Arborist to offer recommendations on future tree plantings and
landscape design plans.
Priority Pruning of Large Trees 2010:
Our internal City tree crews will be working on pruning large
trees primarily on the east side of the City of Bowling Green in Ward 1
& Ward 2, City Park, and the Bowling Green Country Club. The
crews will be pruning out dead and diseased branches,
broken/crossing branches or branches that extend over the street or
sidewalks.
Priority Removal Trees 2010:
Our internal City tree crews will coordinate on removing
priority trees on the east side of the City of Bowling Green in Ward 1
& Ward 2, City Park, and Bowling Green Country Club. Priority
trees are defined as trees that are dead or have one or
more defects that cannot be maintained by pruning. The
majority of trees in this category have a large of percentage of
dead crown and potential safety hazards. Large dead and
dying/diseased tree are high liability risk are included in this
category.
Train Pruning of Small Trees 2010:
Picture 1 (Top) shows proper train pruning of smaller
trees. Picture 2 (Center) we are pruning 25%-30% of lower
branches. Picture 3 (Bottom) shows our City tree crew training
the tree.
The Urban and Community Forestry staff will be working in
the new Subdivisions from May 2009 to August 2009. The crews
are pruning smaller trees to remove dead branches, crossing
branches, and branches that extend over the street or
sidewalk areas. The objective is to train the tree
to provide safe clearance for motor vehicles, signs and
pedestrians. The pruning corrects the structure and form of the
young trees to help grow healthy and strong as they mature.
