Free Trees: Many Detroit Residents say 'No Thanks'

[Canadian Visitor]

I came across this article in the New York Times this morning.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/07/s...es-health.html

It discusses what the author finds to be an inordinate level of rejecting free trees by Detroit residents, and what the perceived reasons are, as per a study.

Let me start by saying, I didn't think a rejection rate of 25% was all that bad.......

One could easily have written the headline as 3/4 of all Detroiters say Yes to free trees.

Be that as it may..........

Discussed as reasons for rejection:

- concerns about long-term maintenance
- worries about tree roots in pipes
- and some suggestion that people don't get to choose the type of tree and that might put some off.

Thoughts?

[Seven&wyo]

I think, "One could easily have written the headline as 3/4 of all Detroiters say Yes to free trees. "
says it all. I think city of trees is a beautiful idea. God the media is garbage

[Scottathew]

Rochester Hills has a program where residents can request the city to plant trees within the right of way. I've used the program to have four trees planted in front of my house and many more planted in other areas of the neighborhood [[requesting as the president of the HOA).

It's a great program that has worked well for Rochester Hills.

[poobert]

Hand out free television sets and I can guarantee you the acceptance rate would be 100%. Sorry, but I lived in the neighborhood and some people just don't give a shit. If the tree isn't growing free money or junk food or liquor many will say no. I know it is anathema to say but I lived next to someone with an uncared for freebie tree and I also spent a good amount of time blasting the weeds that would creep from her backyard to mine.

[Canadian Visitor]

Toronto has had people say 'no' as well, and in fact, used to have a positive-option program with an unsatisfactory uptake rate.

The program has since shifted to negative option.

The City drops a homeowner a note saying they will be planting a tree in the next planting season unless the owner objects in writing.

The City does offer homeowners a curated list of species to choose from; but will recommend one.

If the homeowner wants a different choice from the list, they generally get it, with the provision that the City will veto if they deem that choice inappropriate to a site [[unlikely to survive, mainly).

The City typically provides a gator bag/watering for the 1st year after planting, and warranties the tree for 2 years.

***

Worth saying the City still gets people who throw up a huge fuss after the tree has gone in, claiming never to have been told. [[usually nonsense, just a resident who didn't read the flyer).

But in some cases, the City will dig the tree back up and put the grass back down if a big enough fuss is kicked up.

[401don]

I moved into a more mature neighborhood last year and thought the big tree out front was lovely. Now I hate it. Eavestroughs full of leaves, small branches falling on my car, tons of leaves in the driveway, blocks the sun from the front porch, etc.

[Meddle]

Discussed as reasons for rejection:

- concerns about long-term maintenance
- worries about tree roots in pipes
- and some suggestion that people don't get to choose the type of tree and that might put some off.

Thoughts?

All valid. I've dealt with all of that, plus many other hazards both there in town and out here in the country. Adding to the list is damage to sidewalks, driveways, basement walls. Then there is the potential damage from falling limbs during storms or when the tree becomes diseased. And who pay for the costs to trim an 80' tree?

Potential remedies are to pick trees that only grow to 30' or so and have not been known to cause problems from roots. Also to plant them only in areas where city contractors can trim them.

[Canadian Visitor]

All valid. I've dealt with all of that, plus many other hazards both there in town and out here in the country. Adding to the list is damage to sidewalks, driveways, basement walls. Then there is the potential damage from falling limbs during storms or when the tree becomes diseased. And who pay for the costs to trim an 80' tree?

Potential remedies are to pick trees that only grow to 30' or so and have not been known to cause problems from roots. Also to plant them only in areas where city contractors can trim them.

In respect of free trees provided in Toronto, they either go in the boulevard, or the City's portion of your front yard [[the road allowance is typically the front 1/2 of most yards.)

IF, the tree is City owned, then the City will prune and/or take it down if it becomes a hazard at the City's expense.

Can't speak for the arrangement in Detroit.

As noted Toronto also provides homeowners input on species.

As to pipes/foundations, tree roots can't crack a solid pipe or wall. What they can do is get into a crack, then grow thicker and longer making the crack bigger.

If your infrastructure is in poor condition, then a tree nearby would seem like a bad idea. Though, I hasten to add, fixing your infrastructure might be a better idea!

The key with driveways as such is really just minimum distance. In most cases, the thickness of a tree root more than 10 ft from the truck is not such that it would do damage to pavement.

There are exceptions to that, if the tree is a century old super size one; or if a grade change means roots closer to the surface than average.

All that said, I have no real issue w/someone saying 'no' so long as the City and neighbourhood don't suffer unduly as a result.

[[ecological benefits aside, areas with mature trees tend to have higher property values, so it really is a good idea in most cases, but if the exceptions are 25% or less......I wouldn't get fussed about it)

[Worldsgreatest]

The city is currently planting 10,000 trees requested by residents. Seems New York Times is a bit late to the party.

[Worldsgreatest]

I think, "One could easily have written the headline as 3/4 of all Detroiters say Yes to free trees. "
says it all. I think city of trees is a beautiful idea. God the media is garbage

And they're using data that's 5 years old now.

[detroitsgwenivere]

When I was inspecting homes here in the city people would ask me if the non-profit I worked for had a program that would cut the trees down in their yards for free. Sometimes it was because of the reasons listed above, but other times residents would express fear that the tree would fall down on them or their property, that burglers would climb them to break into their home, or, no joke, they were just plain scared of them.

One of my Yemenese co-workers refused to park anywhere near a tree, saying that where he came from a "tree" was no bigger than one of our large shrubs. Low and behold, one day while working on the westside a huge tree fell dead ass into the residential street about 50 feet in front of us crushing someones car to the floorboard. I never made fun of him for it again lol.

[Dumpling]

Someone sent me about a dozen Arbor Day free tree seedlings
to plant in Detroit and I may as well have been planting graffiti
from some of the reactions I got. I don't know of any seedling
that survived from that batch.

Basically those people were peeved that existing dead trees
were not being removed in a timely manner. The sidewalks
also tend to be much more heaved from trees than in
other municipalities.

Sidewalk repairs tend to be blacktop rather than replacement
flags. The situation is slowly improving.

[O3H]

In Warren just a few years ago - they CUT DOWN all the
old growth trees on my street. Yeah the stuff 10, 20, 30, 40 years old.
Then they put in new concrete streets, white as rice when it cured.
It looked completely different and killed ""the look"" of everything.

Warren claimed the trees were strangling the sewer system with roots.

Soooo, you want trees for charm - or sewer system that actually work ?

Bought a house , in a neighborhood you really like,
and it changes , radically, greatly, almost overnight [[one month).
Now you're stuck with an icky ugly nasty "new" neighborhood
you never ever expected in any of your dreams

[Seven&wyo]

Just on my experience I've noticed that alot of older Detroiters don't like trees. I used to live next to a 60 year old man in Bagley and everytime I planted a tree[[one maple, cherry and oak) he'd warn me about the trees. But the newer residents really seem to want better landscaping. Just my 2 cents

[Meddle]

^^ Perhaps some words of wisdom from someone with experience along those lines? In other words, maybe he knows more than you do? Maybe he knows that 'alot' is not a word?

[Richard]

Maybe that is the infatuation with parking lots,treeless slabs of concrete or dirt that contains no possible hazards in the future or oxygen scrubbing eyesores.

In Florida the suburbs used to be the place where one went to enjoy the sanitatized way of life but now builders are required to plant trees and before you can cut one down it takes a vist from the city arborist and a permit,protected trees are only allowed to be cut if they pose a danger to a structure.

It is kinda hard to remove everything in life that may or may not pose a danger and there could be worse inconveniences in life then raking leaves.

[Seven&wyo]

What a useful comment Meddle....

[Pat001]

You can never have too many trees. Good news is there are more trees in the US today than there were 100 years ago.

[Worldsgreatest]

with all the land cut down for farms and livestock how is that possible? And much of the western US is still clear cut.

Wait, this is one of those misleading comparisons isn't it?

[Honky Tonk]

with all the land cut down for farms and livestock how is that possible? And much of the western US is still clear cut.

Wait, this is one of those misleading comparisons isn't it?

Yeah, stupid farmers....

[stasu1213]

Detroit had trees replanted, especially on the eastside, around 1976, 1977 after most of the Elm Trees were chopped down throughout the neighborhoods due to the Elms disease of the early 1970s. Detroiters understand that growing trees could cause problems later such as roots growing into the plumbing, cracking and buckling sidewalks, and trimming and spraying of trees could be toxic. I don't blame us for chosen to opted out of the deal. I would think that more Detroiters would say yes to free solar paneling installed on their homes

[Pat001]

with all the land cut down for farms and livestock how is that possible? And much of the western US is still clear cut.

Wait, this is one of those misleading comparisons isn't it?

Any time you hear someone say "We're going to run out of..." or "If the current trend continues," be skeptical.