Any resident with a question about any tree
on any parkway anywhere in the Village will likely find the
answer from 7 - 8:30 p.m., Tues., May 11, at Village
Hall, 123 Madison St. That's when representatives of the
Village's Forestry Division and internationally recognized
tree expert Mark Duntemann will unveil the results of a
comprehensive tree inventory that identified by species,
measured, assessed the health and noted the location of every
single one of Oak Park's 20,000 parkway trees.
Duntemann, who heads the Worchester,
Vermont-based forestry consulting firm of Natural Path Urban
Forestry, compiled the inventory by walking every street in the
Village. The information Duntemann entered into a handheld
computer tablet has since been combined with five years of
existing in-house data on pruning, plantings and removals,
creating a comprehensive historical computer database that will
guide future care and renewal of the trees in the
Village's urban forest.
The data is being managed through a
computer software system that can maintain information and
maintenance records on an unlimited number of trees. The system
can apply the latest International Society of
Arboriculture's tree appraisal formula to calculate the
value of individual trees should they be damaged by
construction or weather; allow for easy updates of maintenance
records; automatically create lists for stump removal and
replacements following removals; analyze up to 25 different
factors affecting specific trees; and more easily monitor
problem trees and species.
Purchased with a state grant, the software
program, called Canopy, also will interface with most standard Geographic
Information Systems (GIS), which create sophisticated data
management tools from sources such as maps, aerial photos,
satellites and surveys.
The Village expects to see the first
practical application of the new system in contract tree
removal operations this summer, and its budget for next
year's tree trimming contracts. When contracts are let
for trimming, the Forestry Division will know exactly what the
costs should be since fees are based on tree measurements, data
that already will be contained in the inventory system. Another
application with near immediate value will be the information
to select trees for future planting based on the existing
species mix and site conditions.
For more information on the new tree
inventory management system or the public presentation, contact
the Forestry Division of the Public Works Department at
358.5700 or email publicworks@oak-park.us.
Looking north on Scoville Ave. at
Van Buren St.
The Village Board will host the first of
what is expected to be an ongoing series of quarterly open
dialogues with community residents beginning Wed., May 12 from
7 - 10 p.m., at Village Hall, 123 Madison St. The format
will be relatively informal to encourage interaction among
residents and Board members. Topics will be considered on a
first-raised, first-addressed basis, with discussion limited to
45 minutes each to ensure sufficient time to address at least
four topics per session. Sessions will be televised live on
VOP-TV6, the government access television station available to
cable subscribers on channel 6. The technical feasibility of
allowing residents to ask questions via telephone also is being
investigated for later sessions. Future sessions are
tentatively scheduled this year for July 28 and October 26, and
next year on January 26. For more information, call 358.5770 or
email board@oak-park.us.