Pullman trees will be replaced
Ash
trees planted on Main Street will have to come out during downtown project;
city plans to replace them and add even more afterward
By
Emily Pearce Moscow Idaho – Pullman, Washington Daily News Staff Writer Sept
19, 2023
The city of Pullman is planning on
removing and replacing ash trees that line Main Street during its downtown
revitalization project.
Though the trees will be removed,
the city said in a news release distributed Monday that downtown will end up
with more trees than what were originally planted by the end of the project.
Project Downtown has been an ongoing
process since 2019, when the city received $9 million from the American Rescue
Plan to update supporting fixtures within Pullman, according to the news
release.
Beginning in November 2022, the City
Council was presented with designs on planned infrastructure on the project.
The project is a multiyear effort to
reshape downtown Pullman’s streets and public spaces, focused to build
community, experiences and the economy, according to the news release. Its
projects include digging up Main Street to evaluate and replace the city’s
century-old sewer and water pipes, as well as widen sidewalks to make downtown
more walkable.
Construction on the project’s Main
Street portion is expected to begin in spring 2024, after WSU graduation. It
will be finished before the Cougars’ first home football game in fall 2024,
according to the news release.
Main Street’s 25-year-old ash trees
were a significant topic during the City Council meetings early this year. The
council asked for public input about preserving existing trees and considered
keeping them in the new design, according to the news release.
After consultation with a team of
professional landscape architects and arborists, the council determined it
would be necessary to remove and replace the trees. Its decision was in
compliance with ADA standards, to eliminate trip hazards and create a safe,
walkable downtown, according to the news release.
The existing trees’ root system is
shallow, and would continue to spread and affect the new sidewalks, negating
the benefit of the investment, according to the news release. Pouring concrete
over existing tree roots isn’t a solution, either.
The city also determined that
transplantation of the existing trees would pose a significant risk of damaging
its root systems during construction, according to the news release.
Existing root systems are too shallow and wide for the
mature age of the trees, causing roots to push up in search of oxygen and
water, according to the news release. Other roots have encircled their own root
ball, which can eventually strangle trees.
The new trees will be set in tree
wells with automatic irrigation, something the existing trees don’t have,
according to the news release. They will be placed closer to the curb line in
larger planter areas, giving adequate space for proper tree root growth and
more resources to grow.
The sidewalk design will accommodate
permanent landscaping, ensuring the longevity of the trees and allowing them to
preserve the integrity of infrastructure, including sidewalks and utilities,
according to the news release.
Placement of the new trees will also
create more shade downtown, casting onto the sidewalk on the north side of Main
Street. The city recognizes the high canopy of existing trees creates natural
cooling benefits, but the shade mostly misses sidewalks. The new design will
provide consistent shade, as buildings produce shade on the south side of Main
Street since the road runs east-west.
Details about Project Downtown
Pullman can be found at projectdowntownpullman.org.
Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.
PHOTO Shadows are cast on businesses
along Main Street by the trees that line the road in Pullman on Monday. The
city of Pullman announced that it will be removing and replacing these trees as
part of its Project Downtown Pullman, in which sidewalks will also be replaced.
(Liesbeth Powers/Daily News)
PHOTO Trees line both sides of Main
Street as cars move down the road in Pullman on Monday. The city of Pullman
announced that it will be removing and replacing these trees as part of its
Project Downtown Pullman, in which sidewalks will also be replaced. (Liesbeth
Powers/Daily News)
PHOTO Trees line both sides of Main
Street as cars move down the road in Pullman on Monday. The city of Pullman
announced that it will be removing and replacing these trees as part of its
Project Downtown Pullman, in which sidewalks will also be replaced. (Liesbeth
Powers/Daily News)
PHOTO Shadows are cast on businesses
along Main Street by the trees that line the road in Pullman on Monday. The
city of Pullman announced that it will be removing and replacing these trees as
part of its Project Downtown Pullman, in which sidewalks will also be replaced.
(Liesbeth Powers/Daily News)
PHOTO The base of a tree stands on
the edge of the sidewalk on Main Street in Pullman on Monday. The city of
Pullman announced that it will be removing and replacing the trees that line
the road as part of its Project Downtown Pullman, in which sidewalks will also
be replaced. (Liesbeth Powers/Daily News)
