Where Have All The Trees Gone?

[Jim O'Bryan]

This story seems to pop up every now and then, usually in the spring, it goes something like... "Hey I just wanted to give you a tip. They are cutting down a tree in front of my house and I really love it, and it seems healthy and in good shape, what is going on?" The first of these calls came about 6 years ago when Lakewood's infamous Cowboy George called me and demanded I get down to his house on Clifton where an old oak tree was being cut down on the tree lawn.


Spring bring increased cuttings.

Then I started to get calls from residents that were bothered as they saw Lakewood trucks, "all over" Cleveland, some empty some with trees. So we started to investigate, yeah I know people like to say we do not investigate and shoot from the hip, just more BS to marginalize us when they get caught. So we started to follow trucks, and check out where they were going. For decades all the trees that were cut down were chopped up and left down by the City Dog pound/Water Treatment Plant for residents to gather for fire wood, mulch, whatever. The first I heard of other uses was when they took down the massive oak tree at the church on Arthur and Detroit. "We have a company that will use the tree to make furniture, ins't that cool?" And when you first hear it, it sounds pretty nice, and good use for a single old Lakewood tree.


Another majestic Lakewood oak falls to the city.


And another.

Then as we started to follow truck after truck, day after day it did make us wonder, where are they going, what is going on?

Enter Metro Hardwood, a business on Train Avenue in Cleveland that was started by a Lakewoodite.


Fresh cut trees sitting out front being readied to be moved into the fenced off area so that it can be dried.


Hundreds of harvest trees, sit drying before being turned into lumber...


and more...


... and more.


Nearly a city block of trees drying. When we first found out about this practice, this lot was empty, and two lots opposite of it were full. As of today, those lots have been emptied and this one is nearly filled.

When we first ran the story, the City of Lakewood paid for every aspect of the tree removal, and delivery of the trees. Metro Hardwood paying nothing, and Joe Beno freely admitted the entire process mentioning, "Isn't it better to reuse trees than burn them?" A more than fair question. "The owner is a long time Lakewood resident." Another fair statement which underlines, Lakewoodites still getting the use of downed trees. My question was and still is, "Wouldn't it be nice if Lakewood residents could get a nice big discount on our lumber from Metro Hardwood?"

The story continues, but now you know.

.

[cameron karslake]

So, is Metro Hardwood going around Lakewood every spring and selecting the trees they want cut down?

Hmmm.

[Dan Alaimo]

My understanding is the city has good reasons for cutting down the trees, health etc. Although I do think they could be doing a better job of communicating what they're doing with specific trees.

[Richard Baker]

Who is the City of Lakewood Certified Arborist with a degree in forestry that examines and makes a report for each tree determines if it is dangerous or dead and should be cut down? Has a inventory of all the city trees been made with GPS coordinates and numbered listing the approximated age, circumference, height, general health and if any treatment is need? Are all the pin oaks, maples, beeches receiving systemic soil injection for bores. Soil drench to suppress phytophthora disease for beeches and maples, Ambrosia beetle treatment for maple and beaches, etc. etc.

We all know the City Council and Administration's priorities and concern for health care within Lakewood and now the residents and city trees have something in common.

[Dan Alaimo]

I have a lot of confidence in Chris Perry.

[Matthew Lee]

Short article from November 2017 about Chris Perry and his team that works for Lakewood:

http://www.cleveland.com/lakewood/index ... p_lak.html

[Richard Baker]

[quote="Dan Alaimo"]I have a lot of confidence in Chris Perry.[/quote]

Good for you but are you suggesting that the City does not employ a certified arborist and allows the unqualified to determining the health of trees on public property? So we should continue to let the trees fall where thet may, so to speak.

[Jim O'Bryan]

I have a lot of confidence in Chris Perry.

Good for you but are you suggesting that the City does not employ a certified arborist and allows the unqualified to determining the health of trees on public property? So we should continue to let the trees fall where thet may, so to speak.

Richard

Chris Perry and John Palmer are both certified arborist Chris Perry is full time, John Palmer is part time I believe.

The city has also been very proactive in trees, and the ages of trees, especially Silver Maples, which generally have a 70-75 year life span, and the city is filled with them all about that age. Mayor Summers has been on this since a tree branch fell and killed a person just south of Lakewood.

The fear is to not let them fall where they may.

.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Well nearly ten years later Cleveland.com has backed up and quantified what has been reported here since the start of the Ed FitzGerald/Summers Regime.

Where have all the trees gone? Cuyahoga tree canopy shrinks by 6,600 acres; Lakewood hardest hit
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2020/01/ ... egion.html

Of course while they are figuring out where they are going, the members here have followed the trucks, and the sale of Lakewood Trees, from sweetheart deals for friends, to the complete offloading of the tree cutting down to the vendors that seem to be very attracted to our old growth oak trees.

While Lakewood was once know as the City of Trees, and we won awards for decades over our tree canopy. It would seem that it became just another way for the past administrations to make some $$$$$$$.

Our story below from 2018. Follow the links back to 2010 stories.

Stay tuned Cleveand.com next big Lakewood story is "Lakewood Hospital is Missing Where Did It Go?"

This story seems to pop up every now and then, usually in the spring, it goes something like... "Hey I just wanted to give you a tip. They are cutting down a tree in front of my house and I really love it, and it seems healthy and in good shape, what is going on?" The first of these calls came about 6 years ago when Lakewood's infamous Cowboy George called me and demanded I get down to his house on Clifton where an old oak tree was being cut down on the tree lawn.


Spring bring increased cuttings.

Then I started to get calls from residents that were bothered as they saw Lakewood trucks, "all over" Cleveland, some empty some with trees. So we started to investigate, yeah I know people like to say we do not investigate and shoot from the hip, just more BS to marginalize us when they get caught. So we started to follow trucks, and check out where they were going. For decades all the trees that were cut down were chopped up and left down by the City Dog pound/Water Treatment Plant for residents to gather for fire wood, mulch, whatever. The first I heard of other uses was when they took down the massive oak tree at the church on Arthur and Detroit. "We have a company that will use the tree to make furniture, ins't that cool?" And when you first hear it, it sounds pretty nice, and good use for a single old Lakewood tree.


Another majestic Lakewood oak falls to the city.


And another.

Then as we started to follow truck after truck, day after day it did make us wonder, where are they going, what is going on?

Enter Metro Hardwood, a business on Train Avenue in Cleveland that was started by a Lakewoodite.


Fresh cut trees sitting out front being readied to be moved into the fenced off area so that it can be dried.


Hundreds of harvest trees, sit drying before being turned into lumber...


and more...


... and more.


Nearly a city block of trees drying. When we first found out about this practice, this lot was empty, and two lots opposite of it were full. As of today, those lots have been emptied and this one is nearly filled.

When we first ran the story, the City of Lakewood paid for every aspect of the tree removal, and delivery of the trees. Metro Hardwood paying nothing, and Joe Beno freely admitted the entire process mentioning, "Isn't it better to reuse trees than burn them?" A more than fair question. "The owner is a long time Lakewood resident." Another fair statement which underlines, Lakewoodites still getting the use of downed trees. My question was and still is, "Wouldn't it be nice if Lakewood residents could get a nice big discount on our lumber from Metro Hardwood?"

The story continues, but now you know.

.

[ryan costa]

a popular form of poaching in rural areas is timber poaching.
but a guy needs his own truck and gear. and he usually has to go hundreds of feet off the road.
If you get the city to pay for taking down the curbside trees, and then delivering them to you, you are pretty smart.

[Dan Alaimo]

Last I heard, there was a "good faith" effort by the city to replace old, dangerous sick trees with young trees that will grow to replace them. Every time a tree or a big branch fell, that seemed to reinforce that narrative.

I have embraced and repeated that line, notably to local candidates seeking to answer constituents' questions about "where have all the trees gone?"

Have I been wrong?

[Richard Baker]

The question is who in the city authorizes healthy trees to be removed and logged. When I raised the issue on the city forum, I was informed they have several arborists on staff. It's a fact that anyone with a high school degree can become a certified arborist by merely taking a test. No one on the city's staff has a bachelor's degree in arboriculture, forestry, or horticulture. The city does not have a professional arborist who is educated and has experience with a major tree service company making the decisions if a tree is healthy or needs to be removed.

The reason the city is harvesting and lumbering healthy oaks is either due to vested interests; the city crew does not want to deal with large trees since they affect sidewalks, sewage and storm lines, or simple ignorance. We do know that someone is profiting off the oaks harvested as lumber, but it's my personal opinion, it’s the latter two, and someone is profiting by the city’s inept and inert tree department.

It's cheap harvesting of old-growth oaks with long solid wood in their trunks and paved roads for logging equipment. It's asinine to think a healthy tree should be harvested because it's old. If the oak trees are being logged they have value as lumber, and that makes them a public asset. Did a department head decide without the authority of the City Council to donate city assets to a private lumber company?

[Jim O'Bryan]

This past issue of the Lakewood Observer has a very informative long story about what has happened to Lakewood Trees. Many will remember Chris from his early days on the Deck and writing about city service and environmental issues. Since going to work for the city he has been pretty quiet, but comes up big with this article. Among other things Chris Perry is Lakewood's Arborist, so if anyone knows it would be he.



His numbers point to an increase in trees, but of course these are taking out massive old growth trees and replacing them with brand new trees. Still I have spoken with Chris and his plan makes sense. Diversity of trees along with planting trees that do well in tree lawns, walkways etc.

Here is a link to that story, if you care about trees and Lakewood give it a read.

http://lakewoodobserver.com/read/2020/02/05/cuyahoga-county-tree-canopy-assessment-the-lakewood-story

.

[Jim O'Bryan]

This past issue of the Lakewood Observer has a very informative long story about what has happened to Lakewood Trees. Many will remember Chris from his early days on the Deck and writing about city service and environmental issues. Since going to work for the city he has been pretty quiet, but comes up big with this article. Among other things Chris Perry is Lakewood's Arborist, so if anyone knows it would be he.



His numbers point to an increase in trees, but of course these are taking out massive old growth trees and replacing them with brand new trees. Still I have spoken with Chris and his plan makes sense. Diversity of trees along with planting trees that do well in tree lawns, walkways etc.

Here is a link to that story, if you care about trees and Lakewood give it a read.

http://lakewoodobserver.com/read/2020/02/05/cuyahoga-county-tree-canopy-assessment-the-lakewood-story

.

While I really like Chris Perry and the great work he is doing, and the words. The City's figures count both of these as 1 tree.




.