EXTENSION REPORT

Storm Damaged Urban Trees Getting Professional Checkups

Over the past two years, our Baldwin County urban forest is still recuperating from a succession of hurricanes and is in need of care to make it safer, healthier, and more beautiful.  In response to this need, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System is using USDA Forest Service funds to complete five urban tree assessments in South Alabama.  Each urban tree assessment will evaluate individual urban trees and their condition, structure, and potential for failure.  The assessments will be used by local communities as a first step to restoring and managing their storm damaged urban forests.  

Auburn University through the Alabama Cooperative Extension System selected the five communities or organizations on a competitive grant basis to receive an urban tree assessment.  The five entities are Satsuma, Selma, Jefferson Davis Community College, Brewton City Schools, and Turtle Point Education Center.  Auburn University contracted with ArborPro, a professional urban forest assessment company out of Anaheim, California, to conduct the assessments. 

“We felt communities needed a professional arborist with extensive experience in assessments,” said Neil Letson, State Urban Forestry Coordinator with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.   “We feel confident that these communities are receiving professional work that will help them restore and manage their urban forests.”

Urban forestry in South Alabama has been a real challenge for communities following last year’s string of devastating hurricanes.  The near catastrophic damage to urban forests overwhelms many cities and as Marshall Parson the city arborist for Daphne explained “we know the problems are there but we don’t have the funding to do the work”.  City arborists like Marshall’s first priority after a storm is to provide a rapid tree assessment to restore cities functionality as quickly as possible.  City and FEMA crews hit the streets quickly removing debris and dangerous trees from city right of ways.  However, as Marshall explained “initial assessments and removals are handled by FEMA but they only remove hangers and trees over two inches in diameter, which leaves a large gap, and a lot of unaddressed problems.”

ArborPro’s Scott Watkins collected data on tree location, species, diameter, height, condition, and hazard rating.  This data is compiled into a prioritized list where trees with the highest hazard rating and the poorest condition are addressed first to minimize safety concerns.  This assessment will help communities developed a methodical plan for managing their urban forests by pruning storm damaged trees and removing unhealthy hazardous trees. ArboPro’s Scott Watkins is an International Society of Arboriculture Master Arborist, one of three in Alabama and one of 93 in the United States. 

Auburn University will be following up this assessment by providing a professional remediation (pruning) contractor to remove the identified hazards and improve the health of the urban forests.  “The City of Daphne was able to cover 25% of its right-of-way restoring the urban forests in those areas, making them safer for the public and wildlife” said Marshall Parson and remediation grant participant.  The intent of these grants is to identify the problems with the assessment and address them with the remedial pruning, helping restore Alabama’s urban forests.

Email address: brodbam@auburn.edu
Phone: 937-7176 or 943-5611, ext. 2222

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and home economics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, and other related acts, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) offers educational programs, materials, and equal opportunity employment to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.