Be Kind to Lawrenceville Trees

Killing Lawrenceville Trees

Lawrenceville United, Tree Pittsburgh: Lawrenceville Tree Tenders, and thousands of volunteers have come together over the years to plant hundreds of trees not only in our new and old green spaces, but all along residential and commercial corridors .  The trees provide improved air quality, water conservation and stormwater mitigation,  as well as climate control, lower energy costs, and increased home values, and more.

Unfortunately, we have observed increased vandalism of our urban forest. Tree damage, which could be as small as accidentally nicking the bark with a garden tool, to break off branches, to “skinning” trees can be fatal and cost thousands of dollars to replace.  Tree Pittsburgh teaches in their tree tender courses: “The outer layer of a tree is where water and nutrients flow between the roots and leaves, so damaging this layer can cause significant harm to a tree.  Young trees whose bark is still thin are especially vulnerable to damage from lawnmowers, parked bicycles, etc.  These wounds often take years to heal and can even kill a tree outright if they are bad enough.”

Unfortunately, the most recent damage occurred during the Independence Day Celebration this past weekend,  when someone took the time to actually sit down and completely skin a tree in Arsenal Park, thus killing it (see picture).

You can be ticketed if caught damaging a tree in any way – including by securing your bike to a tree with a bike lock or something similar.

There are things you can do to help keep our trees safe and protected.  Report problems – any and all tree concerns can be reported to 311 and then emailed to  Tree Pittsburgh: Lawrenceville Tree Tenders.

Thank you for helping us keep this a vibrant, growing, and green community.