Save Our Elms (SOE)

Ladd Circle Winter

Quarterly Newsletter                          January 2010

  Hi Neighbor!
 
In This Issue
Elms Update
Welcome
Ladd's Addition Honored
Annual Tree Planting
Pruning Subsidy
Not Just a Pretty Face
 
Elms Update

 American elm leaf
Q4, 2009
 
There was no Dutch elm disease detected during the quarter.  Symptoms are typically not seen until spring or summer. 
 
SOE is working with the City and homeowners to grind stumps at Orange & Birch, Tamarack & Lavender and Ladd & Lavender.  SOE expects to plant Homestead elms in their place during the March annual planting.
 
Two Homestead elms at the corner of Spruce & Birch were planted improperly and are failing.  SOE will have the trees removed, stumps ground and new trees planted.
 
A maple was removed at 16th & Tamarack, its failure likely due to soil conditions.  The selection of a replacement tree will be based on the results of a soil test.
 
Roughly ten street trees were pruned, with costs partly borne by a City grant (see article at right).
 
 
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Welcome matThe New SOE Quarterly Newsletter
Thank you for being a Save Our Elms supporter!  Your donations, volunteer contributions and event involvement have not only made a tremendous difference in saving the magnificent elms and other street trees that grace Ladd's Addition, they have ensured the presence of new trees for many generations to come.

During the first month of each calendar quarter, the Save Our Elms board will distribute this newsletter to past and current supporters.  You can count on neighborhood-specific information that you are not likely to find elsewhere.  We'll regularly provide an elms update along with timely news, notice of upcoming events, how-to guidance and valuable neighborhood facts.

If you know others who would enjoy the newsletter, please pass it on.  Use the link below to help us to get the word out.  Recipients will be added only after they choose to opt in and they can unsubscribe at any time. Thank you!
 
 
Ladd's Addition Honored Nationally
The American Planning Association, the nationally recognized organization of professional planners, recently honored Ladd's Addition as one of the 10 Great Neighborhoods in America. APA Chief Executive Officer Paul Farmer noted of Ladd's Addition, "The neighborhood shows just how timeless communities are when developed from a well-conceived and executed plan. It's clear Ladd's Addition is one of the country's best examples of an early 20th Century neighborhood."
 
You can read the award press release at the HAND website.  There are two terrific related articles at the OregonLive website covering the evolution of Ladd's Addition and Save Our Elms and its affiliates' efforts to slow the spread of Dutch elm disease.
 
Tree plantersAnnual Tree Planting - Join Us!
Over the 24 years, Save Our Elms has provided Ladd's Addition property owners with new street trees, free of charge, and organized the volunteers to plant them.  In all, over 600 street trees have been planted!  The plantings have made a tremendous impact on the urban canopy.
 
It's a cool thing to drive by a tree in our neighborhood and know you helped plant it.  You can't have much more of a lasting impact than that!  Your next opportunity to make your mark is Saturday, March 13 at 9:00 am.  Join your neighbors and friends as we plant 18 street trees throughout the neighborhood.  Bring a shovel and hand pruners (if you have them) and plan to get dirty and have some fun.  If you have questions or would like to sign up, contact Toby Deming at [email protected].
 
 
Pruning Subsidy Ending Soon

Time is quickly running out to take advantage of a generous tree pruning grant funded by the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services.  Homeowners are eligible for a significant subsidy under the grant and volume pricing provided by the selected contractor, Treecology.  American Elms can only be pruned during the winter dormant season, so acting now is doubly important.

 
The SOE tree pruning initiative has aided homeowners in pruning over 100 parking strip street trees (including 60+ mature American elms).  Regular sanitation pruning is critical to preventing the nesting of Elm Bark Beetles in dead wood.  These insects carry Dutch elm disease to new areas of the grove.  Inoculation alone is not likely to slow the progress of DED.  Pruning must be included in a successful program.

Program details are available at the treecology website Call Damon Schrosk of Treecology before March 1 at 503.804.7868 to schedule an appointment.

Leaf, article separator

Street treesNot Just A Pretty Face
You know our neighborhood trees provide a beautiful environment, a cooling canopy, improved air quality, and a home for wildlife.  What you may not know is they put money in your pocket, too.  A study recently published by the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Research Station reveals that street trees add to a home's sale price and reduce its time on market when sold. Find out more about the study. 
 
 We'd Like To Hear From You

If you have topic ideas for future SOE newsletters, let us know.  Please send a message to [email protected]. We'll do our best to include proposed topics in upcoming issues.