16
THE DAVEY BULLETIN
|
May/June 2018
MY DAVEY
BUILDING A TREE
COMMUNITY
Before this spring, hundreds of trees crowded the
30 acres that make up Richmond Place Condominiums
in Richmond Heights, Ohio.
The root systems of aging liability and disease-prone trees,
like Austrian pines and Norway maples, were competing
with asset trees like oaks for resources while becoming
entangled in their canopies.
Now, the homeowners' association has over 500 asset
trees along with new open spaces to enjoy those trees
thanks to a collaborative effort between the North East
Cleveland Residential/Commercial (R/C) office, the West
Cleveland R/C office and the Cleveland East Commercial
Landscape Services (CLS) territory.
Brad McBride, sales arborist, North East Cleveland office,
said the property makeover started with a request from
the homeowners' association to create more of a park-like
setting for the more than 250 residents.
"The trees with lower value or structural issues were
selectively removed to allow for full crown development
of longer-lived, higher value trees," McBride said. "This
process will result in higher quality trees with lower long-
term maintenance costs when given sufficient space. The
remaining trees were pruned to promote good structure
while also removing dead, defective or diseased limbs."
Both R/C offices worked together to remove over 200 trees
identified as liabilities or that would prove costly to maintain
in the future. They then pruned and cared for more than
500 asset trees. CLS crews then came in and installed
turf where trees or large mulch beds were removed.
The work resulted in large, sunlit open areas punctuated
by beautiful mature or maturing trees, McBride said. He
credited a ready availability of Davey marketing materials,
his background in urban forestry, which helped in explaining
his property makeover proposal to the client, and the easy
collaboration between three of the Cleveland offices with
remaking the property.
Pierre M. van Hauwaert, a member of the homeowners'
association board, said they were delighted to partner
with Davey.
"The way this project has unfolded is truly remarkable,"
he said.
A Norway maple, left, crowds a pin oak tree at Richmond Place
Condominiums. Davey crews removed select trees on the property to
give asset trees like the oak an improved environment to grow and thrive.
