Four Linden trees removed from Fifth Avenue, to be replaced this summer
Four Littleleaf Linden trees (Tilia cordata) along South Fifth Avenue have been cut down. Kay Sicheneder, Forestry Supervisor at the City of Ann Arbor, said in an interview that they were in poor condition as a result of a combination of salt, drought and heat stressors. Trees are expected to be replanted on the location this spring after it is relandscaped as part of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority's Fifth and Division Improvement Project.
Edward Vielmetti | AnnArbor.com
Prompted by questions from readers about missing trees on South Fifth Avenue, I called Kay Sicheneder, Forestry Supervisor at the City of Ann Arbor, to see what had happened to them. Here's a few notes about the Littleleaf Lindens that were cut down, and the plans to replace them.
Links
- City of Ann Arbor Tree Inventory: A database of street tree plantings city-wide, including a spreadsheet showing the location and condition of 1,959 Littleleaf Linden trees in the city.
- The Arbor Day Foundation's notes on the Littleleaf Linden notes that "many communities plant Linden along the streets due to its rapid growth rate and dense, symmetrical crown but Littleleaf Linden is sensitive to road salt."
- The City of Ann Arbor's 2010 Street Tree Planting Program includes the Littleleaf Linden as one of its approved trees, but it notes that the trees are only to be planted in areas that are irrigated.
- The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority's Fifth and Division Improvement Project will continue after cold winter months. The project map for 100-200 S. Division St. shows the streetscape design planning.
- Littleleaf Linden trees are not native to Michigan; the related species in the same family is the basswood, (Tilia americana) or American Linden.
- The Deutsches Historisches Museum Berlin (German Historical Museum) has a live webcam pointed at Unter den Linden, a boulevard in the city lined with Lindens.
- The University of Michigan Health System publishes a description from Healthnotes Inc. on Linden flower tea, which is traditionally used as a calming agent and to relieve indigestion.
Edward Vielmetti writes about street trees for AnnArbor.com.
Comments
Rork Kuick
Tue, Jan 4, 2011 : 2:43 p.m.
The logic of why certain trees were permitted and others not was mysterious. I am sympathetic, since it would require effort to say for the hundred trees not listed why they are not listed. "Tilia heterophylla" in the list probably includes "Tilia americana" in case anyone was baffled (nomenclature a bit messy). Tidbits: I've read basswood were called "bois blanc" (=white wood, very accurate) by the ancient french locals, and there are two islands I know by this name in Michigan, both bastardized to "bob-lo" by the modern locals. In woods around here you can find identify trees in june-july by the sound - of thousands of pollinators. They are also a major spectacle along our river then, when I am often asked about what is making that delicious smell.
Kim Kachadoorian
Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 5:01 p.m.
Thanks Ed I wondered why!