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Fitchburg staff report planting progress and outline tree‑health response amid fiber‑optic work
Summary
City staff reported this spring’s grant‑funded plantings, street‑tree replacements and the procedure for protecting sensitive trees near fiber‑optic trenching, including root air‑spading and fungicide injections to guard against oak wilt.
City parks and forestry staff told the Tree Advisory Committee on May 14 that this spring’s planting season included multiple grant‑funded projects and a large street‑tree replacement effort, and described procedures the city uses when utility work threatens mature trees.
Anna Healy said the department partnered with Urban Tree Alliance and DNR‑funded volunteer efforts to plant nine trees at Western Hills Park and to complete plantings on Trace Way, Maple On Heights and several bike‑path sections. She reported about 263 street trees are being planted this season as ash replacements and for new developments; staff will add those trees to the city inventory when planting finishes.
A committee member raised concerns about fiber‑optic installation and whether trenching could harm tree roots. Healy said the city has been coordinating with TDS (the fiber contractor) to avoid impacts. For particularly sensitive trees—especially oaks under risk of oak wilt—the city contracts specialists to air‑spade root zones, repair damage and inject a fungicide treatment as a protective measure.
Healy emphasized the value of an up‑to‑date tree inventory and GIS mapping to identify at‑risk trees before contractors work in an area. She also reported ongoing prairie restoration work, an Earth Day planting at Chicory Meadows, and progress replacing ash rows between the BeltLine and Fish Hatchery Road.
The department highlighted budget constraints: a hazard‑tree budget line (cited around $3,500) is quickly spent when emergency removals are required, reinforcing the committee’s interest in proactive woodlot management and staffing to reduce future emergency costs.
The committee scheduled its next meeting for June 11 and asked staff to circulate updated maps and inventory data ahead of that session.
