CREJ

Page 16

— Property Management Quarterly — July 2017

www.crej.com

Maintenance

Serving

Property Professionals

Since 2003

303-789-0016 for 24 hr. Emergency Service

metrostatefire.com

Fire Alarm & Sprinkler System Testing & Inspection

We Service All Makes of Fire Alarm Systems

Emergency Services & De ciency Repairs

New Construction Engineering & Design

Tenant Finish Fire Alarm & Sprinkler

ome of you may have noticed

that ash trees are no longer

for sale at many nurseries

throughout Colorado.The rea-

son is no bigger than a penny,

but has killed over 50 million ash trees

across 29 states.

It is known as emerald ash borer,

which currently is threatening ash

trees in two Colorado communities –

Boulder and Longmont. It is not neces-

sarily a matter of if, but rather when,

it will spread to neighboring cities and

beyond.

For property managers, EAB can be

cause for alarm on many levels. First

and foremost, your job is to maintain

the overall beauty and appearance

of the property. EAB does not make

that an easy task once it has infested

ash trees because the canopies die off

quickly as the nutrient and water sup-

plies are cut off from the trunk of the

tree.

Additionally, trees that are evaluated

and ultimately identified for removal

pose a safety risk to patrons and ten-

ants. Having those trees removed and

replanted is costly, and the process of

finding a new tree species to replace a

beloved ash trees can been daunting.

I’m often asked what are suitable

and desirable tree to take their place.

Ash trees, (fraxinus pennsylvanica and

fraxinus americana) green and white

ash, respectively, were once a popular

tree choice because they were easy to

establish in our dense Colorado soil,

grew quickly and provided beautiful fall

colors.

Because of these characteristics, they

were overutilized in our landscapes.

Reaching almost 40 to 60 feet high, ash

trees also made the perfect shade tree

in backyards, parks and commercial

properties.

Since the discovery

of EAB in Boulder

County, requests for

recommended alter-

natives are increas-

ing.This is not an

altogether easy

question to answer.

There are a few

factors to consider

when deciding on a

tree, including:

• How long does it

take for the tree to

grow large enough

to start providing

shade?

• Does the prospective tree have any

obvious insect or disease problems?

• Are there frustrating characteristics

like messy fruit to clean up?

•What are the desirable features of

the tree?

Since there is no such thing as the

“perfect tree,”we then have to weigh

the advantages versus the disadvan-

tages of each. Here is what I think.

I do not want a tree that grows fast.

Faster-growing trees are softer-wooded

trees, which are prone to snow dam-

age.We

live in an area that is subject

to heavy, wet snowstorms early in the

fall and late in the spring. I want a tree

that will be resilient to snowstorms, yet

grow reasonably quick so it won’t take

a generation to enjoy some shade.

I want a tree that has few, if any,

insect or disease problems to avoid

having to pour money into maintain-

ing it. I want a tree that does not have

messy or unpleasant smelling fruit that

would add to my maintenance chores. I

want a tree that adds value to my land-

scape and one that has visual appeal.

And I want it to be able to survive Colo-

rado’s weather extremes.

Luckily, there are trees that meet all

of these demands. However, the expo-

sure – what side of the building it will

be located on – is something we need

to determine before planning.

Since well over 90 percent of land-

scape plantings are not native to Colo-

rado, doing some research into where

the tree is indigenous is helpful.Trees

that optimally grow in Colorado must

be from a location that is cold hardy.

Most trees that are “pleasing to the

eye” are delicate.Trees with attractive

and unique flowers, such as eastern

redbud or magnolia, need protection

from the intense heat, which occurs on

a typical south- or west-facing expo-

sure. Many of the trees with attractive

red or orange fall colors cannot tolerate

a south- or west-facing exposure as

well.

The best trees for this brutal south-

or west-facing exposure are notoriously

not fancy.They include:

• Hackberry

• Honeylocust

• Linden

• Buckeye

• Horsechestnut

• Coffeetree

• Elm

• Silver maple

• Catalpa

• Hawthorn

• Sycamore

• Planetree

• Ornamental pear

• Members of the white oak

family

For less brutal locations, such as

an east- or north-facing exposure,

possibilities include:

• Whitespire birch

• Purple and tri-color beech

• Sugar maple, red maple, wasatch

maple and Norway maple

• Red oak, scarlet oak and ‘Texas

red’ oak

• Serviceberry

• Redbud

• Yellowwood

• Tulip poplar

• Japanese pagoda tree

• Hornbeam

• Gingko

• Alder

And finally, there are some trees I

would not place into consideration

… ever! These include any species

of:

• Willow

• Cottonwood

• Russian olive

• Tree-of-heaven

• Sumac

• Buckthorn

• Chokecherry

• Siberian elm

• Boxelder

• Mulberry

The best alternatives to plant in place of ash trees

Tony Hahn

Landscape care

consultant, Swingle

Lawn, Tree &

Landscape Care,

Denver

Red maples need protection from intense

heat, making them ideal for east- or north-

facing exposures.