City worker’s ‘unfortunate mistake’ killed nearly 200 trees along North Temple

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — A simple mistake from a Salt Lake City worker killed nearly 200 trees along North Temple on the city’s west side. Now the city is looking at options to restore the canopy.

Toby Hazelbaker, the director of the city’s parks division, said the mishap affected trees along the corridor’s planter section, from 700 West to Redwood Road in the Fairview neighborhood. So far, 175 trees have died while others are clinging to life.

“This was a single worker, and this was a very unfortunate mistake,” Hazelbaker said. “This is a worker who cares a lot about their job and was devastated to learn this had happened.”

Per an ongoing investigation by the city, the incident happened last year, when the worker sprayed a common herbicide called Milestone on the base of the trees. The chemical is designed to kill invasive weeds, but it’s not meant to be used on delicate, decorative trees.

Early this summer, the city started noticing the leaves on several trees along North Temple curling and dying. That’s when the city’s urban foresters determined it was because of the dosage of the herbicide. In the weeks that followed, the city has worked to tend to the trees that are still alive.

“We’re going to try to save everything we can,” Hazelbaker said.

What’s next?

As of Thursday, the dead trees remain standing on North Temple as the city explores how to move forward. One key question is whether or not the herbicide still lingers in the soil. Once that is known, steps can be taken to replace the canopy.

In the meantime, options are on the table, Hazelbaker said. One would involve bringing in large planters with fresh soil and planting medium-sized shade trees inside them. These trees could stay in the planters until the soil is cleaned up, at which point the trees could be replanted.

This work could be done as soon as this fall, Hazelbaker said. Currently, the city is getting quotes on how much it will cost to remove the dead trees, as the work would be done by multiple city agencies as well as contractors.

“Right now, of course, the shade canopy along North Temple has been reduced, which, especially on the west side, especially in this heat, is a sad thing to see,” Hazelbaker said. “The area is not as beautiful as it could be. We’re looking to have the trees removed fairly soon.”

Trees already lacking on the west side

Over the weekend, the Fairpark Community Council said on social media that they were “heartbroken” about the dead and dying trees, encouraging those with concerns to reach out to city officials.

The Fairpark neighborhood, located in Salt Lake City’s northwest, is in an area that has historically lacked tree canopy when compared to neighborhoods east of State Street. Because of this, the city’s west side is hotter on sweltering summer days, recent studies show , as more heat-absorbing surfaces are exposed.

To remedy this, Mayor Erin Mendenhall has made it a point every year to plant 1,000 trees on the city’s west side. The program is currently in its fifth year.

In an effort to make sure another tree-killing mistake doesn’t happen in the futre, the city revamped its training for those certified to spray herbicides, Hazelbaker said. Additionally, the city set up a double failsafe system that includes supervisors and warehouse staff tightly controlling what comes and goes in their inventory.

As for the worker who sprayed the herbicide, any discipline will be handled by the city’s human resources department, Hazelbaker said, noting the incident remains under investigation.

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