Dear Homeowners,
As many of you are likely aware, there has been discussion about the care and maintenance of the street trees within our community. Specifically, several ash trees require bi-annual trunk injection treatments against Emerald Ash Borer at a significant cost to the community – which was mentioned at the annual meeting in February.
After discussions among the board, property management, City of Columbus Urban Forestry, arborists, and neighbors, we have decided to proceed with treating these trees for 2022. Below are some of the details related to this decision:
- Treatment for the ash trees dates back to 2012. The Association has been absorbing these costs since then.
- Due to the size of the trees in question, trunk injections are the best course of action. Soil soaks are not as effective on trees as large as ours.
- The board would like to have further community discussion on this issue, but due to the timeline to treat these and other trees on community-managed property (i.e., entrances, the park) a decision had to be made quickly.
- Our community arborist will only be treating trees with less than 30% of decline. Trees with higher rates of decline will not be treated by the HOA. Homeowners with these trees on their properties may choose to treat these trees themselves, but will need to complete the permit process with the City of Columbus Urban Forestry Department.
The board received much community response, and this is not a final decision on these trees for the future. Treatment for these trees will not be needed again until 2024 and the board would like to engage the community more directly with the opportunity for homeowners to ask questions and hear feedback at a future annual meeting.
A reminder on street trees: These trees fall under City of Columbus ordinance and are subject to specific city code. In our conversations with the Forestry section, they explained that trees marked with a blue dot indicates that the City is keeping that tree under review for possible future removal. Trees marked with a blue “X” are scheduled for removal. Please keep this in mind as you walk around the community.
Finally, if you have a tree in need of pruning due to low branches over sidewalks or a tree that is creating a hazard that needs to be removed, please call the City of Columbus 311 line to report – (614) 645-3111, M-F 8:00AM – 5:00PM .
For more information about street trees please visit: https://www.columbus.gov/street-tree-faqs/