'Some are healthier than others': What's going on with the trees in downtown Fayetteville?

The health of Fayetteville's downtown trees came to the forefront last month when a petition, "How to save the downtown trees," began circulating online, garnering significant support and raising questions about the state of the willow oaks.

The petition was published on June 1 in response to a line in the proposed fiscal year 2025 budget that requested $50,000 in general funds designated for downtown trees. This item in the budget, which stated "Downtown Fayetteville has many mature trees that are in need of replacement along city streets," caused confusion among residents who thought it suggested the trees would be cut down.

The confusion prompted Councilman Deno Hondros during a June 3 City Council work session to request that the city clarify in the budget that the money will be used to grind down stumps left by trees removed years ago; add irrigation; and replace an oak tree.

When asked to clarify what is listed in the budget that was approved in June , spokesperson Loren Bymer said last week that the budget has an "inaccurate statement that was not corrected during the budget review process," adding that there is no plan to remove mature trees in the downtown area unless they have "reached the end of their life."

Earlier this month, Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks & Recreation leadership and a city spokesperson met at City Hall to discuss the city's maintenance plan for the trees and to address questions from the Observer about the current condition of the trees and future plans for the Hay Street trees.

Changing downtown landscape

Michael Gibson, director of Parks and Recreation, said that the downtown oaks are more than 40 years old and were originally planted along Hay Street in the late 1980s , when it was thought the street would serve as a pedestrian pathway. He said that as Hay Street experienced increased car traffic, the tree wells (the hole where the tree is planted) were found to be too small for the oaks, which have deep root systems that would require copious amounts of water.

"All trees have a life expectancy. When you plant them all at the same time, they grow all at the same time, so once they start to live out their life expectancy, then you have to do reforestation," Gibson said. "So, you plant them, and you make the hole better, you put in irrigation, you put in a bed that's nutrient dense."

Reforestation is the process of regenerating or replanting trees that have been destroyed or damaged.

While Gibson told the Observer in 2013 that the trees could live another 10-15 years , he said in July that he doesn't believe the trees downtown are at the end of their life expectancy and that they could easily live at least another 40-45 years.

When asked about this contradiction, Loren Bymer, city spokesperson, said that since Gibson's statement, the city has learned new techniques for how to "best care for urbanized foliage."

He said that trees will be replaced when they come to the end of their life and that there is no plan to preemptively replace trees.

What's happening to the downtown trees?

John Adams, the city arborist supervisor, said that the main reason the trees downtown look worse for wear is because of insufficient water, which causes the trees to deplete their stored resources.

Adams said that his department removed a tree on Hay Street last year, but the stump remains, making it difficult to grind down. He added that a second tree is "on the brink" of dying and will likely be removed next year. When damage occurs, the city tries to prune the dead limbs while maintaining the tree's appearance, focusing on the lower part rather than the upper canopy, adding that "some are healthier than others."

"If they're not salvageable, we do remove them with the plan of replacing them if we can — if the space that's provided didn't contribute to the death of the tree," said James Powell, assistant director of Parks and Recreation.

Tree health check in 2017

Following a tree health check report from Robert Day, a representative of Barlett Tree Experts, Green Biz Nursery, the landscaping company that originally planted the willow oaks in the late 1980s, provided an estimate in 2017 of how much it would cost to rehabilitate certain trees along Hay Street.

The health check report said, "These trees are under incredible cultural stresses, which have led to insect infestation and decline. There is also very limited space for the root system which has also caused decline (in) some trees."

The recommendations from GreenBiz's estimate included using insecticide against damaging insects like scales and spider mites; applying fertilizer; pruning damaged limbs; and treating the trees to suppress excessive vegetation. The total cost for the treatments was $46,926, according to the Green Biz treatment cost estimates provided to the Observer by the city. It is unknown whether the city implemented the recommendations.

Charles Allen IV, head grower at Green Biz Nursery, said earlier this month that he was present with "shovel in hand" on the day the willow oaks were planted on Hay Street. He said he tagged and selected the trees from Robbins Nursery in Penderlea and that while willow oaks have a life expectancy of more than 100 years, achieving this requires optimal conditions and ensuring the trees receive all necessary resources.

Allen said that when the trees were planted in the '80s, each tree well had an automated irrigation system installed.

"Part of the problem is the irrigation, I think. I won't say it was neglected, but I think it was damaged and maybe not repaired or not repaired properly ... but I know they haven't received the kind of watering and fertilizer that they needed," Allen said June 12. "Can the trees be saved? I think the majority of the trees down there can be saved."

The city said it's repairing the systems and noted that mature trees don't require artificial irrigation because rainfall amounts are sufficient.

During a City Council work session in June, Gibson said new irrigation lines would be installed where needed when the bricks along tree wells are removed.

Allen said that one of the challenges the city will face in restoring and preserving the trees is that many are in holes that restrict their roots from extending into the surrounding soil.

"If a plant is in a situation where it's got limited resources, what it starts doing is shutting down and it will shut down the areas that are of least importance for its survival," Allen said. "That's one of the reasons you have trees with dead branches down there."

City maintenance plan for the trees

Adams, the arborist supervisor, said the city continuously plants new trees and regularly maintains and waters them to ensure they become well-established. He said that the city's maintenance plan covers not just trees downtown but the trees on all city property.

Powell, the assistant director of Parks and Recreation, said the plan aims to keep the trees healthy and maintain the downtown's aesthetics. Powell emphasized that for every tree removed, a new one is planted, stating, "As you know, we are called Tree City USA."

The Tree City USA program provides communities with a framework to maintain and grow their tree cover. Fayetteville is among 3,577 U.S. cities given the Tree City USA status .

Gibson said that the new green vase trees, a relative of the elm, planted along Ray Avenue, a block over from Hay Street, have thrived because they are designed to be planted alongside streets and have a shallow root base, which is better suited for the corridor. He said that as the willow oak trees die or are removed, they will be replaced with tree varieties with shallow root systems.

"The biggest key is that you cannot plant a 40-inch diameter tree ... you won't have the look of the maturity that you have now in the downtown area once you replant, it just won't look that way, so putting a new tree in ... it is a growing process," Gibson said.

'There will always be trees on Hay Street'

Diane Parfitt, owner of City Center Gallery & Books, 112 Hay St., said there was concern among downtown business owners about the varying health of downtown trees. While acknowledging that some trees appear healthy, she said her main concern is receiving accurate information from the city regarding the downtown trees and their plans to address those that look unhealthy.

"I'm not a horticulturist ... but we need to look at the long game and this happens everywhere when you have to replace trees," Parfitt said. "It took us 40 years to get to where we are now, so we have to have faith and patience to give it the time to get there in the next 10-30 years."

Gibson, the Parks and Recreation director, said that the goal is to replace trees that are removed, He said the largest tree that can be planted with a long life expectancy is about 6 inches in diameter, compared to the willows that are about 40 inches in diameter. Residents accustomed to the presence of larger, 40-year-old trees will need to adjust to much younger replacements, he said.

"There will always be trees on Hay Street," Gibson said. "Everything has a life expectancy, it is a living organism, at some point, it will pass, and we will replace. That's it."

Reporter Lizmary Evans covers growth and development for The Fayetteville Observer. You can reach her at LEvans@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: 'Some are healthier than others': What's going on with the trees in downtown Fayetteville?