Sustainability board hears city forester on tree inventory, planting strategy and protection limits

Travis Dirks, city forester and landscape operations manager, told the Sustainability Advisory Board on July 1 that Oshkosh has "roughly, there's probably around 10,000 trees or so," and that the parks department recently applied for a grant to update the city's tree inventory. The inventory, he said, would record species, size, health and location to guide future plantings and maintenance.

Board members pressed Dirks on species diversity, volunteer support and how the city handles terrace plantings. Dirks said the city's canopy has been about 30% maple and staff are reducing maple plantings while adding species such as tulip tree, American hornbeam and seedless varieties of Kentucky coffee tree. He said the recent fundraiser with the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation raised "just over $300,000 to replace the Lost Terrace Ash," and that under that program staff planted roughly 225 trees while total city plantings last year were just shy of 400.

On protecting trees during street reconstruction, Dirks said conventional markers and caution tape are often ineffective and that "what you need, actual I mean, if you if you're gonna do it, you would need actual cyclone and fencing," which is frequently impractical in tight street projects that require extensive excavation. He recommended instead prioritizing soil improvement at planting sites: "what we really need to do is start to replenish the soil...take that out and make sure that that gets...at least a foot of good solid black dirt," which he argued will allow roots to grow and reduce long-term sidewalk root problems.

The board discussed enforcement and replacement rules when contractors remove public trees; Dirks said replacement provisions are generally built into street reconstruction projects but cautioned that replacing a mature tree often requires planting multiple smaller trees to match canopy value. He also noted a recent case on Wagyu Avenue where staff identified about 20 of 60 trees worth saving but the contractor cut most trees down "—I wanna say it was a miscommunication or a misunderstanding," he said.

Members urged better inventory data to help track damaged trees and evaluate liabilities, and recommended a more centralized sign-up method for residents who want terrace trees. Dirks said residents can email his office and staff will maintain a list, but board members suggested a digital form to collect requests systematically.

The board asked about volunteer participation; Dirks said planting work is done primarily by his staff (three arborists, two horticulturalists and landscape specialists) and that volunteer planting would require training. He stressed the need to be selective in planting locations and species to avoid long-term maintenance problems.

The board did not take formal action on protections or replacements at the meeting but agreed to continue the conversation and folded the tree protection zone topic into upcoming agenda planning and outreach.