Don’t Go Out On A Limb Choose Carefully When Replacing Damaged Trees

If you live in Spokane, chances are a black locust or red maple used to grace your yard or street. But thanks to last November’s Ice Storm, those popular trees may have became an eyesore or worse.

Because buying a mature replacement tree can cost $140 to $175 if you plant it yourself - and perhaps twice as much if someone does it for you - property owners should cautiously evaluate whether they need a new tree or want a new tree, and what kind to plant, according to landscapers and the city Parks and Recreation Department.

These experts say the most common trees in Spokane include honeylocust, lindens, black locust, flowering cherry and plum, red maple, Norway maple and ponderosa pine.

Yet research by the University of Illinois shows that nationwide some varieties, including the same honeylocust, American linden, black locust, black cherry and Bradford pear, are among the most susceptible to ice storm damage.

By contrast, the Norway maple, white oak, black walnut and littleleaf linden are among the most resistant, the university says.

However, the chances of damage from a second ice storm in the near future are slim.

And the parks department says homeowners ought to consider something far more important: will their investment in a tree do more damage to property in the future than it’s worth?

The department suggests that homeowners ask themselves why they are planting a tree. Is it for shade or beauty? Will it increase the property value or become a maintenance headache? When the tree matures, will it obscure street visibility or snag a power line?

Because trees often last longer than their owners, the department this spring asks residents to avoid planting certain trees next to streets, sidewalks, curbs and driveways for the following reasons:

Limbs break in storms, roots break up sidewalks: Cottonwoods, Aspen, Poplar, Willow, Silver Maple, Black Locust, Tree of Heaven, Boxelder.

Insect havens: Boxelder, Black Locust, Elms, Birches, American Sycamore, Russian Olive.

Messy: Common horsechestnut, Mountain Ash.

Prone to chlorophyll-related diseases: Pin Oak, Scarlet Oak.

Needs lots of room: Ponderosa Pine, Douglas Fir, Colorado Blue Spruce, White Fir, Western Red Cedar.

Raymond Maleike, extension horticulturalist for Washington State University, will conduct four free workshops for home pruning and tree damage repair from 9:30-11 a.m. and 1-2:30 p.m. on March 29 and April 5 at the Spokane County Ag Center, 222 N. Havana. Call 533-2048 for more information.

For additional advice on tree planting and pruning, call the Master Gardner Plant Clinic from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday-Thursday at 533-2048 or the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department urban forestry program at 625-6655.

Other sources of information include Washington Water Power at 489-6104; Spokane Conservation District at 353-2120; or the state Department of Natural Resources at 800-527-3305.

, DataTimes