Abingdon Tree Replacement Project

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Abingdon Tree Replacement Project

• Paul Revell
• Urban Community Forestry Coordinator
• Virginia Department of Forestry
• 900 Natural Resources Dr. Suite 800
• Charlottesville, VA 22903
• 434.977.1375 ext. 3329
• paul.revell_at_dof.virginia.gov

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VA MTRP
Electric Utilities
Educational Institutions
Municipalities
VA Dept. of Forestry
Non-Profits
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VA MTRP
Electric Utilities
Educational Institutions
Municipalities
VA Dept. of Forestry
Non-Profits
American Electric Power
Dominion VA Power
Alleghany Power
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VA MTRP
Electric Utilities
Educational Institutions
Municipalities
VA Dept. of Forestry
Non-Profits
Scenic Virginia
Mid-Atlantic Chapter (ISA)
Trees Virginia
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VA MTRP
Electric Utilities
Educational Institutions
Municipalities
VA Dept. of Forestry
Non-Profits
VA Tech
Blue Ridge Community College
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VA MTRP
Electric Utilities
Educational Institutions
Municipalities
VA Dept. of Forestry
Non-Profits
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VA MTRP
Electric Utilities
Educational Institutions
Municipalities
VA Dept. of Forestry
Non-Profits
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Abingdon, Virginia

• Historical
• Affluent
• High property values
• Tourism important

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Abingdon, Virginia

• Lots of over-mature and inappropriate street
  trees
• Numerous tree/utility conflicts

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Changing Attitudes in Abingdon

• American Electric is butchering our trees!
• Actual comment from Abingdon Tree Commission (May
  2000)

Town Tree Commission (2000) Goal tree
preservation anti- utility company
Changing Attitudes
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Project on Valley Street

• VA MTRP American Electric VA DOF
• Written materials
• Workshop
• Collaboration
• Public Meetings
• Valley Street Demonstration Project
• UCF Grant (tree planting)
• Technical assistance (American Electric)
• Remove Replace trees that threaten utilities,
  sidewalks, traffic and public safety

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Inventory Removal Candidates and Potential
Planting Spaces

• Candidates for removal
• Potential planting space
• Not all removals in conflict with power lines

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Candidates for Removal
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Traffic, Pedestrian, Property Hazards
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Keeping the Public Informed

• Keeping the public informed was a critical part
  of the project
• Notification signs
• Personal contact

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Work Begins
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Tree Removals

• Many trees over-mature and in poor condition
• Potential liability

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Row of Replacements

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Tree Replacement on Valley Street

• One strategy is to do the tree replacement
  first
• Larger tree to be removed in next removal cycle

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Tree Replacement on Valley Street

• Golden Raintree shows promise as a replacement
  species

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Species Planted

• Under power lines
• Trident maple
• Serviceberry
• Witch-hazel
• American hornbeam
• European hornbeam
• Japanese tree lilac
• Flowering crabapple
• Trinity pear
• Flowering dogwood
• Kousa dogwood
• American holly
• Higan flowering cherry

• Away from power lines
• Autumn purple ash
• Pin oak
• Heritage River birch
• Bowhall red maple
• Patmore ash
• Thornless honeylocust

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Planting Techniques

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Project Benefits

• Utility Company now seen as a partner in local
  tree program
• Community is more aware of tree/utility conflicts
  and liability issues involving trees

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Project Statistics

• 28 trees removed
• 81 trees and shrubs planted
• 1 1 1/2 caliper
• Labor and materials cost 10,000
• Plus in-kind work by AEP 3,300
• 5,000 grant from Urban Community Forestry
  Program

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Virginia MTRP Goals

• Increased awareness of potential tree/utility
  conflicts by general public and municipal tree
  managers
• Removal of utility unfriendly trees by
  municipalities
• Utility appropriate trees identified by research
  and on-the-ground experience
• Increased availability of utility appropriate
  tree species in the nursery trade

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Virginia MTRP

• The partnership is looking for new organizational
  members
• The partnership is looking for suggestions on
  projects
• The partnership is looking for more publicity
• American Electrics Tree Replacement Program

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Appropriate Tree Selection for Use Near Overhead
Utility Lines Bonnie Appleton, Susan French
and Brenda Johnson-Asnicar Hampton Roads AREC,
Virginia Tech, Virginia Beach, VA
Tree Planting Guidelines
Silver maples can reach 100 at maturity
Each year utility companies spend over a billion
dollars for tree pruning and removal, much of
which is caused by the selection and planting of
tree species with inappropriately mature heights.
Despite publicity against the use of trees that
are too tall, poor tree species selection
continues.
Trees and shrubs used near overhead utility lines
should generally be ?20-35 tall at
maturity ?slow growing and set back
from overhead lines ?tolerant of site
conditions ?pest and disease resistant

Utility Line Arboretum at the Hampton Roads
Agricultural Research Extension Center
Before
After
Options to resolve the utility line-street tree
conflict ? select the right tree for the
right location - use information from utility
arboreta ?? remove trees and replace with
compatible species ? use proper pruning
techniques ? use growth regulators ?
reroute wires or install them underground

after
before
In response to public safety concerns,
line-clearance pruning is required. Many
line-clearance pruning practices damage trees
both physiologically and aesthetically. This
necessitates the disposal of millions of tons of
biomass each year.
One of the easiest and least expensive conflict
options is the use of smaller trees and shrubs.
Bushy shrubs can be pruned or limbed up to
resemble smaller trees.
Some Appropriate Tree/Shrub Choices for Planting
near Overhead Utility Lines Amur maple (Acer
ginnala) 15-18 Low Zone Globe Norway maple
(Acer platanoides Globosum) 15-18 Low Zone
Serviceberries (Amelanchier arborea, A.
canadensis) 15-30 Low to Medium Zone Redbuds
(Cercis canadensis, C. mexicana) 20-30 Medium
Zone Fringetrees (Chionanthus retusus, C.
virginicus) 10-25 Low to Medium Zone Dogwoods
(Cornus kousa, C. mas) 20-30 Medium
Zone Thornless cockspur hawthorn (Crataegus
crusgalli var. inermis) 20-30 Medium
Zone Goldenraintree (Koelreuteria paniculata)
25-35 Medium Zone Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia
indica) 10-25 Low to Medium Zone Little Gem
magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora Little Gem)
10-20 Low Zone Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum)
20-40 Medium Zone Japanese stewartia
(Stewartia pseudocamellia) 20-40 Medium
Zone Japanese snowbell (Styrax japonicus)
20-30 Medium Zone Chastetree (Vitex
agnus-castus) 8-15 Low Zone Japanese tree
lilac (Syringa reticulata) 20-30 Medium Zone
Chastetree
Forest Pansy Redbud

Fringetree
Commonly used Crape Myrtle
Sourwood
Dogwood
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Utility Arboretum

• Species testing
• Published results
• Demonstration

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Utility Arboretum

• Numerous species being tested
• Mock utility line installed by cooperating
  utility company

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Utility Arboretum

• Find out which species work through research and
  observation
• VA Tech Utility Arboretum at installation in 1995

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Utility Arboretum

• VA Tech Utility Arboretum in 2002
• Good and bad species selections are now becoming
  apparent

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For More Information

• Poster project, utility arboretum and extension
  publication
• Dr. Bonnie Appleton
• 757-363-3906
• bapple_at_vt.edu
• URL for Extension publication
• www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/trees/420-029/430-029.html

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Utility Vegetation Management Program

• Safety
• Reliability (keeping the lights on)
• National security

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American Electric Powers Tree Replacement Program

• Goal Remove tall growth trees that create safety
  and reliability problems and replace with low
  stature trees and shrubs
• Started in 1987
• Replaced over 16,000 trees in Virginia
• Cost of over 2,000,000 to cut trees and replace
  with compatible species
• Other cooperative efforts Roanoke, Lynchburg,
  Bluefield