RIP, Ash; Welcome, Yellowwood!

Ash trees are dying in New Haven. On Frances Hunter Drive, a new tree took root.

That new tree is a yellowwood, requested by Linda Branch, who lives at 3 Frances Hunter Drive.

A team from Urban Resources Initiative (URI) came to her property Tuesday to plant the replacement, part of an effort the team is making to replant citywide in spots where ashes have fallen victim to a wily pest.

“[It] died like most of the ash trees in New Haven – due to the emerald ash borer which has been in our city over a decade now. It’s a pest that is attacking trees across the continent, ” said Caroline Scanlan, URI’s GreenSkills program.

Only 100 to 300 ash trees remain in the city, Scanlan estimated. And most are in poor health.

In seeking a replacement Linda Branch asked for a yellowwood to match one in her back yard. Along with great-grandson Kwei-Okai Hudson, she came outside Tuesday to watch as the URI green team dug a new hole and got to work.

Working with Scanlan on the job were Will Tisdale, a field crew representative from URI; Elizabeth Hopkinson, an intern at URI; and Steve Neary, Mryon Mullins, and Ra Hashim from Emerge. a program that provides jobs and skill training for ex-offenders. (Read about their tree planting program here and here.)

“Diaper” & ​“Donut”

Although it may sound simple, planting a tree requires many steps, as demonstrated on Tuesday.

“We have to dig a big enough hole, typically twice as wide as the root ball,” said Scanlan.

The root ball in question is a burlap sack around the base of the tree and contains dirt.

“I call it the diaper,” joked Tisdale.

“We [then] need to identify exactly where the root flare is,” said Scanlan. When the tree flares out, she explained, it should be exactly even on the ground once the tree is planted.

Hashim began to measure out the distance between the root flare and bottom of the root ball. ​“We’re trying to make sure it fits in there perfectly,” he said. His favorite project with the Emerge/URI team has been the Botanical Garden of Healing in West Hills. (Read about that here and here.) ​“Just because all the vigils and gun violence, this [garden] brings healing to the families,” said Hashim. ​“To be a part of it, to put my hand in it, that’s something I really appreciate.”

After digging the hole, the crew slowly loaded in the tree. (Watch them do it in the video.)

They then tossed on mulch, forming what Scanlan called a ​“donut.” The donut helps rainwater collect in the roots of the tree, and provides nutrition as it breaks down. That extra nutrition is especially important for the yellowwood tre.

“The yellow wood tree isn’t the best sidewalk tree,” Scanlan explained. She certainly wouldn’t plant it downtown, she added, because city pollutants and salt can affect its survival. ​“Linda has requested trees from us before, though, and we know she’s a good caretaker.”

Indeed, Branch watched the process approvingly from her front steps. ​“I like the program, that they’re able to do this,” she said.

Click on the above podcast for an interview with URI chief Colleen Murphy-Duning about the organization’s work.

Previous coverage of URI tree-planting:

• Concrete Cleared For Roots To Grow