Published Sunday, February 9, 2003
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Herald Staff Writer
Since the Nov. 10 tornado, the landscape of Clark is a little barer.
The borough, which used to be veiled by trees, is now visible when crossing the causeway over the Shenango River Lake, Mayor Douglas Bradley noticed.
On Saturday, the borough hosted "Restoring Community Landscapes" to educate residents on replacing their lost or damaged trees, shrubbery and plants.
The seminar was presented by Scott Sjolander, extension urban forester and certified arborist with Penn State University Extension in Crawford County, and local Master Gardeners Frank Wiencek, Verna Burkett, Gary Ealy and Bob Momske
Sjolander and the Master Gardeners spoke to residents about taking landscape site inventories, assessing their existing trees, preparing plans, avoiding injury to trees and plants during construction and maintaining them after they are planted.
Sjolander said the first step in designing a new landscape is to see what plants are still there. Sometimes it helps to draw a scaled map with all buildings utility wires marked on it and determine which areas see the most activity.
The branches that fell to the ground are just part of the overall tree damage associated with the tornado, said Wiencek, who is also a certified arborist and owns his own landscaping company. In fact, some of the damage may not have surfaced yet, he said.
"Be alert to changes, both subtle and quiet, to yours and your neighbor's landscape," he said.
Stems that twisted and turned in the strong winds may have cracks in them, and some trees may be bent. Wiencek cautioned residents to watch for trees that may be leaning more than they used to.
"If it suddenly starts to lean ... you need to watch it. It could fall over," he said. "If the soil is bulging on the opposite side of the tree, it could fall. Out in the woods that's not a problem, but in your yard you need to have it attended to quickly."
Wiencek pointed out that trees are harder to replace than structures. He said it could take a long time, even a century, before new trees grow to the level the old ones were at before the storm.
When replacing trees and plants, residents should think about what they want to do and then plan a budget, said Ms. Burkett. She advised residents to choose plants that complement their homes and to think about how much work they're willing to do to maintain their new plants.
"There is no maintenance-free garden," she said.
Many people in Clark who are replacing trees are also replacing buildings or repairing their homes. Construction can damage trees, and sometimes that damage won't show up for about five years, Sjolander said.
Anyone having construction done on their home should fence off the areas they don't want damaged while still leaving the contractors room to work. He said homeowners should agree up-front with contractors that there will be a penalty for damaging trees and shrubbery.
"Trees don't heal wounds. They're not like animals," he said.
When selecting new trees from the nursery, many people might go for the biggest ones. But often it's better to plant a smaller tree than a large tree, Momske said.
"A large tree has probably lost 95 percent of its roots ... a little tree will grow fast and be bigger than the taller tree," he said. "It takes time to grow trees. In the long run it's better to buy the smaller ones."
There are generally three types of trees for sale: bare root trees, which are usually available through mail-order and must be planted right away; balled and burlapped trees, which have been dug up from a field and may have suffered root damage; and trees that have been grown in pots. Some trees also come in fiber pots, which can be placed directly in the ground, he said.
Bare root trees should be planted in the early spring. Balled and burlapped trees can be planted any time, as long as they were dug up early in the season, while potted plants usually can be placed in the ground at any time, Momske said.
Once a tree is in the ground, it needs to be cared for in order to grow. Ealy said if a tree is planted too deep or has too much mulch piled around it, its roots won't get enough oxygen. He also said trees need to be watered deep in order to keep the roots deep in the ground.
Kraynak's, Lowe's and Cottage Gardens, all in Hermitage, are all offering discounts to tornado victims looking to replace lost vegetation.