Schafer says watering trees is outside the bureau’s scope: “We only trim trees for visibility and clear brush. We simply are not set up for nor have the skills for tree maintenance beyond that.”
Watering is too hard? Wtf?
... plant about 30 saplings in a grassy triangle in the East Portland neighborhood...
... at least 25 of the trees in the triangle appeared beyond salvation last week.
So almost a complete loss, beautiful.
PBOT’s failure to water its 30 trees in the traffic median is the second time this year that government officials have failed to protect tree canopy. An ongoing street-widening project along a 67-block stretch of Southeast Powell Boulevard means the state is currently chopping down 570 trees lining the road, WW reported in June.
I live out in the burbs but the loss of trees is why I haven’t pressed harder for my city to improve our road. We really needed sidewalks and bike lanes 20 years ago but our road has some of the last 100+year old Douglas firs in the city and I just know they will all come down with no thought because the “traffic manual” says that’s what’s required.
So instead everyone walks in the road which is absolutely unsafe and has led to one death already.