The Lettered Streets Neighborhood Association is trying to create a more welcoming urban center with the addition of 20 new street trees by the end of fall, according to the association’s Tree Planning Subcommittee.
The subcommittee said it would cost about $2,000 dollars to purchase 20 high quality trees plus mulch, stakes, twine, and other planting necessities.
A permit must be obtained for a tree from the city’s pre-approved list before the neighborhood can plant along the parking strip, because the trees have to meet specific requirements. The trees must come from the city’s preapproved street tree list of the best trees for urban environments, and they cannot be planted over sewer ways or under power lines. Committee member and Volunteer Parks Coordinator Rae Edwards, 59, said since most of the power lines in the Lettered Streets are on one side of the road they won’t be much of a problem, but many of the sewers running under the sidewalks might pose a challenge.
According to Edwards, the positive effects of street trees on urban environments outweigh the challenges. She said studies have shown trees encourage drivers to slow down, increase air quality while decreasing heat, catch storm water runoff, decrease crime, and create a more walkable, inviting community.
Edwards, who is also a part of Tree Keepers, an organization dedicated to educating people about the benefits of urban trees, said she is excited about the possibility of planting more trees in the Lettered Streets.
“It makes it a more pleasant environment—less stark,” Edwards said. “It just gives a completely different feel. It feels complete.”
Subcommittee member Jim Straatman said he also feels the trees will beautify the neighborhood and foster a feeling of community. He is working on a website where residents can become involved in the project in three ways: learning about the proposal, making an online donation, or volunteering tree space on their street.
Straatman said the Tree Planning Subcommittee hopes to receive about $500 dollars from the neighborhood association’s budget, which would leave them to raise an additional $1,500 through donations and grants.
The Tree Planting Subcommittee said they are in the beginning stages of planning right now, but are confident the neighborhood will support the project. Edwards said there have been a few tree planting projects in the past, and residents were already making donations for street trees when the neighborhood association tried to plant trees in 2008, but the project died due to dwindling grant funds.
Although the neighborhood association said it supports the addition of street trees, some members are more tentative about the project.
“I think we should start small,” said association MNAC representative and long-time Lettered Streets resident Howard Steiner.
Steiner said he thinks the subcommittee should purchase 10 trees instead of 20 and see what kinds of problems arise, because the program could always be expanded later.
But Edwards said she doesn’t anticipate many problems with the trees or planting. She said her greatest concern is creating and maintaining neighborhood excitement for the project. According to her, the Happy Valley and Cordata neighborhoods began successful tree planting projects to improve their neighborhoods.
The Columbia neighborhood is another place with many street trees. According to Columbia resident of 14 years David Engebretson, 42, the trees have a huge impact on the neighborhood’s traffic and atmosphere.
“They’re not only traffic-calming, but they also make the neighborhood warmer,” Engebretson said. “But I think the traffic-calming issue is important.”
Peggy Scaief, who works across the street from the Lettered Streets and whose daughter lives on Eldridge Avenue in Columbia, said she is of a more different opinion.
“I like the openness here,” Scaief said.
Scaief also said she is concerned about the shade created by street trees. While Edwards said she feels the trees help cool down urban areas in the face of climate change, Scaief said she thinks the shade would better suit areas that experience more sun. She said her daughter’s neighborhood is always damp and dark because of the trees.
“I love trees, but I think they have to be careful not to create too much shade,” Scaief said.
Edwards said she is trying to limit the number of tree choices to choose from in order to find the best-fitted tree for each street.
“The whole idea is having the right tree in the right place,” Edwards said.
Edwards said she is looking specifically for trees with 1.5 to 2 caliber trunks, and is trying to narrow the tree options for each size, which come in small, medium, or large. Small trees are usually below 40 feet, mediums are between 40 and 50 feet, and larges are about 60 feet or more. She said she has looked mostly at various types of maples because they do well in Bellingham’s clay soil, have beautiful colors, and would require little maintenance.
The subcommittee said it hopes to gather neighborhood support and volunteers to buy the trees and plant them in three stages. The first stage would occur in the spring and include preparing the planting sites. The second stage, in the summer, would involve weeding and maintaining the sites. And fall, the best time to plant trees due to the large amount of rainfall, would see the actual planting of the trees.
“We’re just in the beginning, and we’ll see where it goes,” Edwards said.
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