“Our Urban Forest” – A Presentation to the North I-25 Business Association by Joran Viers, City Forester, City of Albuquerque Parks and Recreation Department
May 21, 2015
Notes by Mary Anne Giangola, Community Officer, North I-25 Business Association
“Albuquerque has one of the highest rates of canopy loss in the country,” said Joran Viers. City Forester in the Albuquerque Parks and Recreation Department at the May 21 meeting of the North I-25 Business Association “We rated 3rd highest in 2009,” he said. Drought and harsh conditions are the reason.
Viers defined the Urban Forest as more than trees. It includes vegetation such as weeds, and even associated wildlife.
Benefits of the Urban Forest translate into hard dollars, Viers said.
Residential areas with a good canopy of shade trees have higher property values
Shade trees can affect energy conservation with less heat gain in homes and other buildings.
There are “softer” benefits also:
Recovery times in hospitals are faster when patients can view trees from the hospital room window.
Medical professionals report lower levels of stress in tree-landscaped environments.
In areas with healthy trees, crime rates are lower and neighborhood interactions increase.
However, these benefits apply only to areas with healthy trees.
“We have to pay attention to what trees need,” said Viers. “Nature always wins,” he commented. What DO trees need?
Sufficient below ground space to allow for diffuse uptake of moisture and nutrients
Freedom from SPD (Stupid People Disease)
Viers showed and spoke about several examples of SPD:
String trimmer damage to bases of trees, cutting into the bark
Burlap ball never loosened when tree was planted, strangling the tree
Placement of tree next to a light color wall, with gravel mulch, creating a hot environment for the tree
Not allowing sufficient soil volume for tree roots to grow
Use of Weed n’ Feed Fertilizer/Herbicide on grass within a tree’s root area
Use of rock mulch rather than bark or compost mulch
Cutting off tree roots to create tiered landscapes
Soil Volume Needs
Canopy diameter Soil Volume Need
10 feet 120 cubic feet
21 feet 500 cubic feet
30 feet 1000 cubic feet
“Tree roots, by nature, are a shallow phenomenon,” said Viers. Roots of most trees do not go beyond 3 feet in depth.
Viers reviewed good trees for Albuquerque, which include:
Chinese Pistache
Desert Willow
Hackberry
Bur Oak
Japanese Scholar tree
Honey Locust
Golden Rain tree
Purple Leaf Plum
*Blue Atlas Cedar
*Deodar Cedar
*Italian Stone Pine
*Austrian Black Pine
*denotes large growth trees
“Just because a tree is drought tolerant, doesn’t mean you don’t have to water it, “said Viers. He cautioned against drastically reducing water supply to a tree once it has gotten used to a certain level of watering. A good way to provide moisture to roots is to use concentric rings of irrigation tubing with holes punched in it, buried beneath landscape fabric and mulch.
Xeriscaping and rebates for it have had the unintended consequence of contributing to canopy loss. Many times xeriscape designs fail to include sufficient irrigation for trees. However, “Trees and turf are not good companions either,” said Viers.
“Sprinklers are often a good option for trees, as they mimic rainfall. Viers recommends 1.5 inches of irrigation every other week.
The Albuquerque Bernalillo Water Utility Authority offers a rebate of $500 per property for specialized tree irrigation.
Tree planting guidelines:
1. Be sure to plan for trunk size expansion when selecting planting location
2. Allow space for root growth
- Soil must be loose and moist
- Try to locate away from buried lines (gas, water, sewer, electrical)
3. Can use a bio barrier in a trench at the edge of root area – mix cement with soil and create a “wall. “