A GROWING CONCERN: Let’s do it in the shade with tree planting

HOW ABSOLUTELY HAPPY for Port Angeles that the person with the ideal name, Paul Forrest, spent years collecting and then piecing together all the relevant and crucial information to establish a City Shade Street Tree Planting Program.

Trees that create shade in the city offer many benefits. They not only look nice, but also help to lower temperatures in urban areas.

Shade trees also increase the surrounding soil’s ability to retain water because of their “shade value.”

This program also includes proven species of trees that are suitable for that environment at the curb. And best of all, they are FREE to those who qualify. (Applications must be submitted at www.cityofpa.us/1285/City-Shade-Street-Tree-Planting-Program).

Applications are open to residents of the Port Angeles city limits only. The program runs from July 22 through September 6.

So this is the perfect opportunity to lobby your city, town or municipality to adopt a City Shade Street Tree Program. The City of Port Angeles has already done the heavy lifting by gathering all the information needed to implement the program in your community!

But how do I plant these or other trees?

1. Dig a shallow, bowl-shaped hole. This should be the same depth as the container and three times as wide, with sloping sides.

2. Lay the container on its side to gently remove the tree by tapping the sides and bottom of the container. Carefully cutting the sides of the container can make this process easier. Try to keep the soil around the roots intact. If the tree is root bound, cut an X across the bottom of the root ball and four vertical cuts along the sides.

3. Place the tree in the center of the hole. Turn the tree to the best orientation, keeping the trunk vertical. Adjust the height of the tree to ensure that the root spur, where the roots spread out at the base of the tree, is an inch or two higher than the surrounding ground level to allow for subsidence. A shovel handle placed over the hole is a good measuring tool.

4. Fill the hole and backfill it firmly with the original soil. Do not add additives or fertilizers that will create a “flower pot” effect and hinder growth. Use excess soil to create a water trough around the edge of the hole.

5. Make a ring of mulch 2 to 3 inches deep around the tree. It should be at least as wide as the hole, but no closer than 2 to 3 inches from the trunk. The ring should be a “donut,” not a “volcano.”

6. Only stake the tree if necessary. Trees usually grow faster and stronger if they are not staked. Remove the supports after the first year.

7. If the soil is not fertile, a slow release fertilizer can improve growth. Do not use “weed and fertilizer” fertilizers near the tree, as they contain herbicides that will harm or kill the tree.

8. Newly planted trees need deep watering for the first two summers. Deep watering is a method of getting water deep into the soil to encourage deep root growth by not watering too often, but with large volumes. Trees with a diameter of 1 – 3 inches should be given 15 gallons of water once a week. Be sure to water consistently during the dry season, which can last until October.

Three beautiful varieties have been selected for their ability to thrive here on the peninsula and not be too large for the curb. The three varieties are Scarlet Oak/American Red Oak, 65 feet high and 45 feet wide; Katsura tree, 40 feet high and 40 feet wide; and native Garry Oak, 65 feet high and 45 feet wide.

So make sure that the streets in your area are cordoned off and/or put pressure on your municipality to do the same!

And remember… stay healthy everyone!

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Andrew May is a freelance writer and ornamental gardener who dreams of seeing Clallam and Jefferson counties nationally recognized as the “Flower Peninsula USA.” Send him your questions at Peninsula Daily News, PO Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or email him at [email protected] (subject: Andrew May).