Tree-removal crews next week will begin removing ten diseased or damaged trees from the University of Iowa campus, as part of regular tree care and maintenance. The affected trees are on the Pentacrest, and several pose a threat to public safety due to their deteriorated condition.
The work is expected to take a couple of weeks, according to UI Facilities Management. New trees will be planted in place of removed species, likely in fall 2015. There are 178 trees of varying species on the Pentacrest.
Nine ash trees and one oak tree will be removed. The majority of the ash trees to be removed are located on the southeast quadrant of the Pentacrest, another is located north of Macbride Hall along Jefferson Street, and the other near the corner of Madison and Washington Streets. The oak tree is located west of Jessup Hall and will be removed with a crane by Noel’s Tree Service the week of Jan. 5.
The trees are being removed for a variety of reasons, from fungal diseases to cracks in limbs or wounds in the base that have weakened them to the point where they can pose a threat to public safety. Several trees to be removed are located in or are adjacent to some of the most heavily used sidewalks on campus.
The Landscape Services tree care team, composed of four International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborists, maintain more than 8,000 trees of 250 species, and typically plants more than 300 trees each year. The tree-management program and tree-care team have helped the UI earn Tree Campus USA status five years in a row. Their recent work includes the establishment of an orchard near Mormon Trek Boulevard, protection and propagation of state champion trees, and the installation of a lightning protection system on the 130-year-old Iowa state champion Black Walnut which also resides on the Pentacrest.
For more information about campus trees and Landscape Services, visit: http://www.facilities.uiowa.edu/bls/landscape/index.html
Additional information:
Does the UI always replace trees that are removed due to age or disease?
The goal is to plant two replacement trees on campus each time one tree is removed from the UI tree inventory.
Are the ash trees being removed due to emerald ash borer?
The trees being removed all have health or structural issues and would be removed regardless of their species.
What is the UI’s plan for the emerald ash borer?
The UI has no plans to start wholesale removal of ash species on campus. Until there is a positive identification locally, the UI probably won’t proceed with removals. We will also not be treating any of the ash with insecticides due to long term costs and questions about environmental impacts from doing so
How many ash trees are on the UI campus?
We have about 600, less than 10% of our tree inventory of 7,700.