September 3, 2002
Contact: Robert Lowery (509-963-1487/fax 509-963-2301/e-mail: loweryr@cwu.edu)
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - After more than a year of study, Central Washington University facilities management officials have reluctantly conceded that three trees in the Barge Hall courtyard need to be removed.
The two locust trees, near the center of the courtyard, and one birch tree, between Barge and Shaw-Smyser halls, are at least 80 years old, according to Greg Poe, manager of CWU custodial and grounds services. But, he further notes, they have become potential safety hazards.
“They’re old trees that have finished their useful lives,” Poe says. “We have been watching them for quite some time. A year ago last June, a large leader split off from the (locust) tree on the east side. We were able to watch it sway in the wind. So, we immediately came in and sawed that limb off. Then, a few weeks ago, another leader actually broke from the tree on the west.”
A study of the trees, by Dr. David Hosford, CWU biological sciences professor; Leslie Wing, university tree expert; and John McCoy, a certified arborist from Cle Elum, found that the trunks and main limbs of both locust trees are either hollow or nearly rotted, while the birch tree has an infestation of “Brown Birch Borer,” which will eventually kill it. It also was noted to have a considerable amount of rot.
The tree removal process will begin Saturday, Sept. 14, according to Poe.
“We scheduled it that way to have the least impact on the Barge courtyard and the surrounding area,” he adds. “We will have two large vehicles in there: one an aerial lift device to allow crews to do the necessary sawing, and a crane to lower the lengths of trees down to a truck for removal.”
The removal process will stretch into the following week. The large pieces of wood will be available for purchase in an upcoming university surplus sale, Poe points out.
This fall, three new trees -- two Alaskan Yellow Cedars and an Autumn Glory Maple -- will be planted in the same locations to take the places of those being removed. They are trees that are said to be very beautiful and resistant to rot and limb breakage.
“They are better suited for both of these areas and the environment they’ll be put in,” Poe says. “They’ll be 15 to 18 feet tall – that’s as large as we can plant with any kind of success. We’ll have to leave the ground bare until we get to the ultimate planting time, in the late fall. That’s when we’ll be the most successful in planting trees of this size. So, it will probably be the end of October or early November before we replant.”
