Plantenberg Discusses Urban Forestry Issues At Turf To Trees Conference
Author: Patrick Plantenberg, Tree Board Chair
Plantenberg Discusses Urban Forestry Issues at Turf to Trees Conference
Patrick Plantenberg
Tree Board Chair
On August 14, Patrick Plantenberg, Chair of the Montana Urban and Community Forestry Association (MUCFA) and Chair of the Townsend Tree Board discussed some of Montana’s urban forestry issues with green industry professionals and MSU Extension Agents at the MSU Urban IPM Turf to Trees Conference in Bozeman.
He discussed the historic lack of funding for trees as green infrastructure as most communities consider trees as a liability and not an asset. He also listed the several organizations that deal with urban forestry issues and provide training in Montana. The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act has dumped a once-in-a-lifetime amount of funding for urban forestry into Montana. Patrick stressed the need for communities to actively solicit some of the funding before it runs out.
MUCFA has received some of the funding to do a community training needs assessment. Once completed the results will be used to design training programs and the data will be used to apply for grants. Patrick discussed the need for communities to set up a continuum of tree care. Communities need to set up a tree board, pass a tree ordinance, do or update their urban tree inventory, develop a 5-year tree care and maintenance plan based on the inventory, keep the inventory data current as work is completed, and implement the plan by pruning, removing and planting trees.
Most small communities cannot and will not hire a new employee. So, they must train volunteers, and existing public works employees, and/or hire contractors. MUCFA and its grants will help get some communities to get started or continue with their tree continuum of care.
Another issue is the number of new homes being built in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). MUCFA is maintaining a WUI section on their website at https://www.
mucfa.net/wui-trees. Cities need to consider what parts of their communities are susceptible to forest or rangeland fires.
Modern urban forests need to have climate resiliency. What will be the impact of water restrictions and drought on urban trees? Urban foresters need to use more mulch, develop efficient drip irrigation systems, let lawns dry up and just water trees to the dripline and beyond, and plant drought-resistant trees. Cities need to develop more water collection systems to capture and use stormwater runoff from homes and streets. Cities also need to limit lawns and increase native species landscaping for insects and birds.
Cities need to limit the impact of invasive woody species and noxious weeds on native woody species' stream corridors in communities. Birds need these native corridors like Riverfront Park in Billings. Common woody invaders include Russian olive, common buckthorn, Siberian elm, white cottonwood, Norway maple, and other landscaping escapees. Russian olive has changed the potential wildfire threats in river bottoms formally dominated by cottonwoods and Rocky Mountain juniper. Fires can now reach the cottonwood crowns as the mid-sized Russian olive trees burn.
Fires also have a major impact on utility companies. One large fire can bankrupt a utility company.
As a result, we’ll see more clearing around powerlines. We will see temporary power shutoffs during storms, see more underground lines which are five times more expensive than aboveground lines, and finally, we will see higher power bills.
Urban foresters must plan for trees in a warmer Montana with more weather extremes. Most cities have been diversifying urban forest species and planting more Zone 4/5 trees. Some species are working, and some are not. We may be rushing conclusions about zone definitions as the extremes are killing even our hardy trees! Cold hardy trees are still needed. Tree growers need to continue to find and propagate cold hardy selections from Montana communities that have survived the climate extremes seen to date.
What about invasive insects and diseases? First, there was a Chestnut Blight that wiped out the Chestnut trees in the eastern US. Then Dutch Elm disease removed the large canopy of American Elm trees across the US. Now, an Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is coming. EAB is already in 36 states and moving west. And more insects, diseases, and invasive plants are coming.
Finally, many of our large first- and second-generation trees planted in our communities need to be replaced. Dutch Elm disease has removed most of our American Elms. Some of the large cottonwoods in communities like Choteau need to be removed at a major expense to the community. Many communities have been planting small stature trees like spring snow crabapple to replace large trees taken down or to increase diversity. These small stature trees are great as a focal point or a specimen tree in a park or as a good tree under a powerline, but they do not provide the canopy and shade that the large first-generation trees provided.
Any questions? Please call Patrick Plantenberg at 406-431-4615.
