Weathering the “Perfect Storm”
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Weathering the “Perfect Storm” Philip Gruszka, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy About: In 2010, emerald ash borer was detected 11 miles north of Pittsburgh, this same year the cities most "natural" park was confirmed with oak wilt disease. Park managers saw an unprecedented convergence of destructive insects and diseases. Without the right information and resources, mitigation efforts were hopeless in an economy that has the City challenged to fund the most basic functions of government.
Weathering the “Perfect Storm”
- 1. Weathering the Perfect Storm Philip Gruszka Director of Parks Management and Maintenance Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
- 2. Tree action plan Started in 2002 With EAB reported In Detroit
- 3. 2005 street tree inventory completed less than 300 ash trees
- 4. 2007 park landscape tree inventory competed less than 200 ash trees
- 5. Natural Areas Study of City Parks completed in 2010 981 acres of woodlands ‘ 53 tree species 414 trees per acre 372,873 trees
- 6. Native tree species Green and White ash (15.2%) Red Oak group (12%) Black cherry (9 %) sugar maple (8.6%)
- 7. Non-native invasive trees Norway maple (17.6%) Tree-of-heaven (5.9%)
- 10. Pittsburgh woodlands are 6270 acres almost 10 square miles
- 12. Public land (NAS) 388,125 Ash Trees
- 13. Red Oak Group 310,500 trees
- 14. Ash and oaks = 698,625 x 2500 gallons storm water mitigation per tree = 1,746,562,500 1.75billion gallons
- 15. Combined Sewer
- 16. Landslide
- 21. Gypsy moth
- 22. Beech Bark Disease This a complex involving an invasive, soft scale insect and fungus.
- 25. STREET TREES Norway maple callery pear London planetree sugar maple silver maple other 16% 11% 9% 4% 3% 23% red maple littleleaf linden honeylocust pin oak sweetgum 11% 11% 5% 4% 3%
- 26. PARK TREES pin oak northern red oak crabapple ginkgo littleleaf linden Austrian pine 11% London planetree 6% Norway maple 4% 4% black locust 4% sugar maple 2% other 6% 5% 4% 3% 50%
- 27. COMPLETE URBAN FOREST black locust 13% Norway maple black cherry 11% white ash American elm 8% tree-of-heaven boxelder 5% sugar maple hackberry 2% white mulberry other 30% 12% 9% 5% 3% 2%
- 28. Natural area study 414 trees per acre (981 acres) (6270) Urban forest master plan 73 trees per acre (35,520 acres) 9% ash = 233,366 1.4% red oak = 36,301 (388,125) (310,500)
- 29. Ash and oaks = 698,625 (NAS) 1,746,562,500 1.75billion gallons Ash and oaks = 269,667 (UFMP) 674,167,500 million gallons
- 30. Historic, landscape or woodland specimen free of defects small groups of males and females diverse locations
- 31. Ash is a battle that we lose
- 34. No preemptive cutting of ash
- 35. This is a battle we can win
- 36. Park Trees Red oak group 12% 48,736 trees
- 38. Picnic beetle long distance vector root graft local transmission
- 39. Early detection and appropriate response
- 40. Frick Park prior to discovery of oak
- 42. City of Pittsburgh DPW PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Non profit partner Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Volunteers Foundations and Corporations
- 45. State and Federal money is accessible when a plan is in place
- 46. tree planting as investment
- 50. Nurturing Nature. Planting Possibility.