It’s ugly, it leans, and it’s a pain to clean up after.
But it’s the only tree we have and provides much needed shade.
I was given this list of pre-approved replacements.
I don’t think I want a maple again.
And I definitely know I do not want a ginkgo.
I would love some recommendations off the pre-approved list.
I’m not very familiar with trees or the pros and cons of each variety.
Location SE Michigan
by Mercybby
26 Comments
You’ll get over it
It doesn’t look ugly to me. Why are they removing it? I would be livid!
That’s crazy that a 60+ year old mature tree can’t be grandfathered in, because it didn’t make some dumb, arbitrary list. It leans a little, (so do I at 50) but I don’t think it’s ugly.
Are all the drugs and crime cleaned up that local authorities have moved onto tree selection?
I’m sorry about your tree, it’s so beautiful. We’re all getting tagged left and right by Duke Energy down here in Cincinnati for removals, because all our power lines are above ground and a damn mess.
The sweetgums are gorgeous – check those out. I’m actually shocked that they’re approving the species for any sidewalk area, they’ll f up a sidewalk/driveway!
To be honest the choices they have listed aren’t much better. If your in SE MI, contact MSU forestry dept. They have trees all over campus and adjoining forest lands and can likely not only show you the trees but give you very good pros and cons of each.
I would bet 100% it’s safety/ preventative measures against falling. If that’s the case (which it will be) there’s really nothing you can do. Silver lining is it will never demolish your house… what kind of fucked would you be if it took out your home?
Terrible spot for a tree that huge. It’s lifting thw concrete curb.it has to come down
There was an incident on our street and a boy on his bike was almost hit by a neighboring tree so they are assessing all our trees.
This angle is deceiving, but it is leaning very badly. As much as I love it, I do agree it has to go for safety reasons.
[Damaged Tree](https://imgur.com/a/VSPb2Pi)
I like sweetgum trees and they have a sterile variety that doesn’t produce the spikey fruit
Liquidambar styraciflua rotundiloba
On the plus side, the city is taking it down for you.
I wish I got the same letter for my two giant ash trees in my backyard, cause I don’t want to foot the bill.
For starters, it is not your tree — it’s the city’s
Of all the trees on the list, ginkgo and oak will have the greatest longevity and are tough street trees. I’m sure true ginkgo will be a male cultivar, so don’t worry about the fruits. The only downside to ginkgo is that they can be slow to establish. Believe it or not, oaks are also relatively fast growers. They are a little slow to establish (2 years), they will start to grow quickly and will out pace many trees to 40-feet tall. Sweetgums are messy and sycamores are native to floodplains and don’t do well in urban conditions. American elm would probably be the only other decent option, but they are prone to split because they branch so heavily, like a Bradford pear. It can be managed with yearly pruning, but that’s a a lot of work, and it won’t be your tree. If it were me, I’d go with oak or ginkgo. You may want to ask which cultivars of oak and ginkgo would be planted.
Gingko us a nice option, just make sure it is a male as females are the ones that produce the stinky fruit.
Was the tree planted before the law came in to affect, if so, the law shouldn’t apply.
From the camera view, looks like they might be doing you a favor. Good opportunity to plant the trees that you like. And sorry about your power bill for the next 20 years.
I had a Popular that was leaning to the east. So much so I removed anything it might hit. Then I had a line of maples removed. They were to the east of this popular. Turns out they were acting as a wind break. So wouldn’t you know it, when we had a significant windstorm, the popular that was leaning east fell to the west hit my back building. Minimal damage and insurance. But still a pain.
Man, I had a HUGE sycamore tree at my old house probablythe biggest tree on the street. I was so tired of cleaning up after it. I cut it down. Summer came back around I was starting to regret it. Now my new house is like a damn desert 🏜…I’m jealous of all the people with huge mature trees shading their houses in the 100 degree weather..
Another comment where allowing ash to be on the list is pretty wild. Ash trees are on my city’s no list because of Emerald Ash Borer.
Just want to caution on Flowering Crabapple. My neighbor has one and it’s incredibly messy. It’s also not gonna provide the shade you crave.
Check out MSU’s website for tree ideas. I lost a massive ash tree in my front yard and used the U of MN’s resources to decide the next best tree for us. MSU will probably have something similar.
A mature elm is a grand tree.
Can you plant more than one tree, or do you not have a large enough yard?
We’ve had a sycamore maple for years and it’s lovely. More compact than sycamore and less rooty than maple.
Thrown some seeds for new trees. Dunno if avocados do well in your area, but our grrw a good 15-20′ in about 5-6 years i think? Im also in socal tho…but they don’t grow fast, and you can always graft an already fruiting avocado tree limb onto the younger tree to get it to start bearing fruit earlier.
in Germany there is Bestandsschutz 🙂 if the tree is older than 10 years – it stays
start rooting branches, so you can replant it somewhere.
Unfortunately where it is situated is owned by the city if something happened and a person was injured or a property was damaged the ratepayers are on the hook for the damages.
Norway maples are invasive and non native though? That’s weird to be on the approved tree list smh
Something nice you could do to maybe ease your mind a little is take and store the seeds from this tree and replant them there once the tree is removed