March 5, 2011

Large Trees in Arbre Park are Dying and will be Removed

The health of old trees in Arbre Park have been declining over the last several years. Cottonwoods are especially vulnerable to root disturbance. Unfortunately, road building around the park and other nearby construction likely started to affect their health years ago. Last Spring, a few of the old cottonwood trees died and had to be removed. It's llikely that all the remaining large cottonwoods will suffer the same fate.

Arbre Park's Cottonwood Trees
The dying trees have caused concern for public saftey. When a large branch recently fell down to the snow this winter, luckily no one was nearby. The City of Hugo and its Public Works Department are aware of these problems. Since Arbre Park is a City-owned park, the City will probably remove all the remaining old trees. This may happen sooner than later.

Once the old trees are removed, the question of replacement arises. The City of Hugo's parks budget is limited. Although there may be some City money available to purchase a few new trees, this may be an opportunity to create a partnership between residents and the City of Hugo