City considers replacing 38 downtown trees

The City of Shelton is considering removing and replacing 38 downtown trees whose expanding roots are lifting and breaking sidewalks and pushing up grates.

The Shelton City Council talked about the trees and possible solutions at a work session Jan. 25.

Most of the downtown street trees are chanticleer pears planted in 1995, said Public Works Director Jay Harris. During the past nine years, the trees have more than doubled in size and the roots are lifting the sidewalk and street improvements near each tree, he said.

"There are about 38 trees that are a problem," Harris said.

In September, the city's street division hired Sound Urban Forestry to assess downtown trees. That group recommended the city develop a removal and replacement plan, noting that cutting roots and grinding and replacing sidewalks are only temporary solutions.

The arborist recommended four varieties of replacement street trees for Shelton:

■ The Upright Hornbeam, which turns golden yellow in the fall and grows to about 40 feet tall and 20 feet wide.

■ The Princeton Sentry Ginkgo, which turns a golden yellow in the fall and peaks at 45 feet tall and 25 feet wide.

■ The Firestarter Tupelo, which turns bright red and grows to 35 feet high and 18 feet in width.

■ The Sugar Cone Maple, which turns red and orange and stands 25 feet high and measures about 13 feet in width.

A preliminary estimate to remove and replace all 38 trees and repair the damaged sidewalks is $250,000.

The city could propose the project as part of its 2023 street capital improvement budget, Harris said. The council can also consider buying the selected trees a year in advance and storing them at a city site to guarantee they are available for the replacement, he said.

Harris said the city could choose two tree varieties and alternate them so bugs and disease might spare at least one of them. He recommended the council dismiss the Sugar Cone Maple because it doesn't grow as tall.

"Remember, these are urban trees, so they're stressed a lot more," Harris said. "They're not growing out in the woods. They have light and water problems and obviously some pollution problems because they are on a street. They are a little more susceptible to disease."

Council member Joe Schmit said the city needs to execute the project correctly so it doesn't have to be redone in 25 years. He said he's surprised the city didn't realize during the 1990s that the growing tree roots were causing damage.

"We're not the first city to encounter this problem," said Harris, noting his former employer - the town of Newberg, Oregon – faced the same problem.

"People didn't know (the pear tree) roots loved to push things up," he added.

In the downtown historic neighborhoods, "There's a concern from the community in ripping out the trees - 'What is it going to look like?' " said council member Deidre Peterson. She added, "It will take some time for those trees to catch up in size."

Harris said it will take a couple months for the city to create a proposed concept plan that shows existing and potential "road diet" improvements that will include tree additions and replacements. The city will seek public input on the proposed plans.