Measuring Up: Winona Woods Street Tree Inventory

Phase one of the Winona Woods Street Trees Inventory wrapped this week. With over 450 trees cataloged. This data helps to illustrate the need for greater attention to our street trees.

Based on the information collected, two major themes were evident. One was the significantly aged/poor health of our tree population, the other was a lack of diversity in tree variety. It is important to correct these issues for several reasons. To begin, the poor health of many trees pose significant safety concerns. In addition, having a majority of elderly trees suggests that the current group is not varied enough in age to provide long-term stability in population. Lastly, having only two common tree varieties (Silver and Norway Maple) does not provide enough diversity to avoid widespread devastation by a future pest or disease such as what occurred to the Elm and Ash populations.

In order to correct these issues, Winona Woods is working closely with Town Hall to complete Phase Two  of the Street Tree Inventory, which will consist of identifying trees that need to be removed, replaced or trimmed as well as filling in existing gaps within the current canopy. In addition to all of this, new varieties of trees will be vetted in order to find those types best suited for our neighborhood in terms of mature size, shade patterns, and resilience. This information will then be used in order to apply for state and federal grants to provide much needed funding for the initiative.