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Cutting
the Old Ones An Aug. 5 Slant piece in this paper mentioned Whitey Lueck's July 30 presentation to the City Club of Eugene and his "radical" notion that mature urban trees may be removed, for reasons other than hazard abatement or disease control, to avoid problems in the future. This idea is not radical, but rather standard practice. Eugene's big old trees are removed every week of the year, and many problems are solved, among them: the challenge of operating heavy equipment on construction jobsites where trees are to be preserved; the burdensome need for arboricultural consulting during development; and avoidance of non-standard site plans which make room for mature trees. In existing landscapes, views can be opened and landscapes can be rid of falling debris, such as leaves and seeds, when large-canopy trees are cut. We rarely hear of anyone having such problems, and this is a testament to our effective, pre-emptive tree removal practices. These practices are due for a change. Trees are readily removed for two main reasons: because the substantial benefits of trees, especially large ones, are not widely known; and because Eugene's Land Use Code excepts many parcels and development sites from regulation. Big old trees play an important ecological role, even here in town, in that they posses microhabitats that younger trees are unable to provide. Dead limbs, rough bark and hollows make for happy dwellings for organisms from beetles to birds. There is also a certain spiritual microhabitat big old trees provide people. In the ancient and spreading limbs of oak, we all can find a bit of solace. The old trees standing in Eugene are connections to our landscape and cultural history. The Chase sequoia on Garden Way, the Oregon white oaks on Gillespie or Skinner's Buttes, and the weathered old firs in River Ridge golf course, site of the Ayres homestead, are all windows to our past. Eugene is sprinkled with such fine old residents. The Tree Foundation has created the Legacy Tree Program, to be unveiled this fall, which will make these trees and their value more accessible to all. So what of Mr. Lueck's remarks? In the context of his talk, he mentioned tree removal several times. Whitey can "accept" certain tree removal, he said, and we might consider cutting trees depending on our goals for any specific portion of our urban forest. Logging parts of Spencer Butte Park to promote age and habitat diversity is one example he provided. Removing tall fast-growing individuals in a landscape in order to promote growth of longer-lived, slow-growing ones may be another. Such tree removals can understandably cause consternation. After all, every tree is a potential Legacy Tree. But we have less to fear from intelligent action than we do from passive outrage and mistrust. We live in an urban forest. Forest because it is comprised of interrelated trees, vegetation and soils sharing a common environment. Urban because it's where we are. The human component of our forest's dynamics is the largest and, to me, most engaging. In addition to questions of botany, climatology and ecology, we can ask "Who?" and "Why?" when pondering our landscape's bounty. Think of all the trees downtown, in yards and alleys and parks, and know that they were all, with few exceptions, planted. We are not merely forest denizens, but stewards. We may scurry and chatter when trees fall because of ignorance or economy, but we have the wherewithal to improve our situation. The formerly treeless plain that is now Eugene has long since abdicated its wild destiny. It is through the actions of people that much of our surroundings have formed. As we strive to improve Eugene's urban ecosystem we must look for lessons not only in the forests and prairies of our valley but also in the policies and practices of our city. It is not radical that some tree-lovers would advocate occasional tree removal, but that this city of tree-lovers would be so ill-prepared for the future. Phillip Carroll is a horticulturist at the UO, a certified arborist and president of the Eugene Tree Foundation.
Home
of Its Own? The Lane County Farmers' Market is burgeoning. It is the height of the season for local produce, and once again the idea has come up that the Farmers' Market should have its own permanent building [see cover story last week]. A Farmers' Market building has been tried once before in Eugene. In the early part of the 20th century there was a market just where the present one is located. It was run by the local Grange. Around 1930 the growers built a building at Broadway and Charnelton. They found however that they could not sustain this building every day all year. They had to take in commercial businesses and by the late '50s they failed. The building still stands and now houses medical supplies. This information comes from a book Market Days by Stan Bettis, published in 1969. For some years there was no Farmer's Market in Eugene; if you wanted local strawberries, for instance, you had to drive out to the farm to get them. Then, in 1970 the Saturday Market began and the Produce Market was its adjunct. Rebuilding a customer base for local produce was very slow work, and the Farmers' Market still benefits from its proximity to the Saturday Market. Here is a quote from Beth Little, the Saturday Market manager, in a recent (8/7) Saturday Market newsletter: "Having the Farmers' Market as a neighbor is a gift to us. Their dedication to the quality of produce mixed with the artistry they show in the stacks of carrots, onions, corn and beets contributes so very deeply to the ideals we hold in keeping money in the community." One of the pleasures of the produce market is its seasonality. This week it is melons and peaches but soon it will be apples and pears and grapes. We do not have a year-round growing season here in Oregon. The Farmers' Market starts small in spring. It expands through the harvest season, when there is also a Tuesday and now a Thursday market. In fall it shrinks down again — the first frost kills the tomatoes — and by the end of October it is gone for the winter. Those who want to see a Farmers' Market building sometimes cite the Seattle Pike Place Market. Eugene is not Seattle, however, and a friend who lives there tells me that it is now mostly for tourists and sells predominantly bunched flowers. A better model is the Portland Farmers' Market on Portland's park blocks. Its board has decided that the market is big enough. They accept no more new vendors unless they have something special to offer. (If there are 20 vendors selling blueberries, why have 10 more? The Eugene Saturday Market also has a waiting list.) In Portland, too, there is a weekday market, an evening market and satellites in the outlying districts. It has been suggested that Lane County's "butterfly" parking lot might be reconstructed to house a new arts organization (DIVA, Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts) and also an enlarged space for the Farmers' Market. This is an interesting idea; it would keep the Farmers' Market downtown, where customers expect to find it and still in the vicinity of the Saturday Market. Any structures for the Farmers' Market would need to be carefully designed to accommodate its seasonality — perhaps with awnings, and maybe some sculptures and benches to give the place a less abandoned look off-season. Lotte Streisinger is the founder of Saturday Market and Farmers' Market, and she provided a lot of the background information for last week's cover story on Farmers' Market.
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