editor Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 Monday Mayor White will announce a program to plant one million trees around Houston. I know a lot of HAIFers have liked the new landscaping done around the freeways, this should be nice, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 Monday Mayor White will announce a program to plant one million trees around Houston. I know a lot of HAIFers have liked the new landscaping done around the freeways, this should be nice, too.Wow, cool. Any reasons related to Ike? Got a link?Thanks for the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbaNerd Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 (edited) One must wonder what they mean by "trees"; stick-sized saplings, or nice 55 gallon caliper planted specimens? I certainly hope they go with the latter. Considerations must be made regarding species, watering needs, etc. Live oaks are nice, but they should be mixed in with various other deciduous and coniferous species, such as Maples, other Oak species, Bald Cypress, Sweetgum, and Sycamore. More Crepe Myrtles would be nice as well, along with Vitex, Redbuds, and other flowering varieties.I hope this involves tearing out the concrete erosion wall on the south freeway/59 combo just south of the 45 stack. The growth planted a few years ago on the opposite end is verdant and lush, especially in contrast with the grungy old concrete slope across the way. The small median there should be mowed and forested; it does not obstruct any merging traffic anyway. 45-S itself needs maintenance, with overgrown weeds and broken, unpruned trees mixed in with the out-of-context palms. Many sections of 59 seem to have had some prep work done it seems, esp around Kirby. Minor landscaping was done earlier this year, and hopefully more trees are on the way. One concern here as well is the portion near the 610 stack, where some parts lack trees. They really need to fill in the gaps here and get a nice green ribbon growing along the freeways; with some landscaping going on into the suburbs (including Sugar Land, Stafford, etc) and the amount of growth in the beltway stack, this vision isn't too far from reality.Great news overall, especially considering that freeway landscaping and such has improved by leaps and bounds in the past couple of years alone. Bring it on! Edited October 4, 2008 by UrbaNerd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 You can find the approved native tree list on the City's website. It would be highly unlikely that the City would plant non-native species that it does not even approve for itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted October 4, 2008 Author Share Posted October 4, 2008 Wow, cool. Any reasons related to Ike? Got a link?Thanks for the infoI don't think it is related to Ike. Looks like it's a partnership with an outside conservancy group.No linkage yet. There will probably be a web site some time after the official announcement on Monday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heights2Bastrop Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 I don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 It is probably related to the Mayor's new environmental initiatives. Whatever the motive (and whatever the size of tree/sapling), I'm happy to see more trees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 Monday Mayor White will announce a program to plant one million trees around Houston. I know a lot of HAIFers have liked the new landscaping done around the freeways, this should be nice, too.The trees that TXDOT planted along the 529 Spur took a beating from Ike. Many are leaning at a 45 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudemeister Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 I am glad to see Houston planting more trees along the freeways. Coming from Denver, I always thought that Houston's greatest quality was how green it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barracuda Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 The trees that TXDOT planted along the 529 Spur took a beating from Ike. Many are leaning at a 45 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 I have been wondering myself why so many city trees were planted so close together. You can see evidence of this in the recent plantings along the freeways and other areas like Memorial Park. The dense groupings may look nice initially due to the lushness, but as these trees mature, the growth is going to be constrained, both in the root structure and the canopy. Planting them too close will affect the long term health and attractiveness of the trees.I assume the dense planting is two-fold: (1) TXDoT doesn't have the resources to regularly maintain the grass between the trees, and dense plantings will shade the ground so much that grass is discouraged, and (2) that a certain number of the new trees will die and TXDoT won't have the replace them...survival of the fittest and all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 (edited) http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6043778.htmlhttp://www.milliontreesplushouston.org/Public/index.asp Edited October 7, 2008 by lockmat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHiPs Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6043778.htmlhttp://www.milliontreesplushouston.org/Public/index.aspI'm wondering which stretch along Wayside will the new trees be planted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arivechi Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 so can we get trees to replace the ones that Ike knocked over in our yards? I'll come pick it up and dig the hole if someone supplies it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted October 8, 2008 Author Share Posted October 8, 2008 Here's the official announcement. Sorry it's late -- I was traveling.-----------Mayor Bill White and the Houston Parks Department today joined Trees for Houston, the Texas Department of Transportation, Houston Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 This is not the first time for this initiative, it was done in the 80's. I think that's when T4H was founded. This was done previously while Whitmire held office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 http://politicalblog.abc13.com/2008/10/mayor-white-and.html http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=6437875 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHiPs Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 http://politicalblog.abc13.com/2008/10/mayor-white-and.html http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=6437875 hehe...that's funny... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted October 8, 2008 Author Share Posted October 8, 2008 Maybe he's the Galveston Bear, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memebag Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 I love Bill White. He rolled with it perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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