[CANUFNET] String trimmer damage

Tue Nov 14 16:09:55 EST 2023

 To All
As a retired Municipal Arborist, I was witness to hundreds of tree deaths due to string trimmers and lawn mowers. I am of the opinion that the Landscape Industry is one the worst "pests" that have a detrimental affect on our Urban Forest. 
We went through many pests in our area.     EAB
    Spongy Moths
    Dutch Elm Disease
    We now have Blue Fungi Disease in our Conifers.
Just to name a few...
With all these diseases we deal with, the landscape industry has the worst history on our trees. The effects of this industry is everywhere you look.    String Trimmers
    Lawnmowers
    Volcano mulching
    Volcano soiling
    Coloured mulches, black especially
    Building concrete and wood rings around the base of a tree
    Artificial Turf    New Sodding    Expansion of driveways and walkways    Construction vehicle and personnel activity habits around trees
    Improper planting
    Improper pruning    Improper pest and disease control
    Improper use of Fertilizers
This is just a list off the top of my head.
We can put tree guards on the trees, but landscape activities find away of pushing those guards up and out of the way and still creating considerable damage to trees. Large mulched rings can also be a problem as homeowners do not like to see all that mulch. Homeowners want that manicured cut grass right up to the trunk of the tree. Large tree rings only work on main thoroughfares where private properties are not an issue or have a significant separation from the tree. This would be seen more on Regional Roads. Residential roads where homeowners seem to think that the boulevard is their property, larger tree rings just don't workout.
One of the reasons I have retired from the municipal stream, (still in the private stream) was the political interference in trying to control these actions. Even with a good Public Tree Bylaw, and Boulevard Landscaping Bylaws, that carried fines and controls for all these actions, the political inability to support the bylaws put me in situations of having to hang my principals at the door every time I started a day of work. 
So yes, this is a huge, frustrating problem in all municipalities.
Mark CarrollUrban ForesterRetired from the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario
    On Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 01:29:53 p.m. EST, Shawn Gurney via CANUFNET <canufnet at list.web.net> wrote:  

Yes! Death by a thousand whips.  Of course we use “arbor guard” sleeves but we are moving more towards maintained mulch wells around all planted trees to just remove the issue altogether.  Comes at a cost but likely less than what we’re spending on replacement of trees and loss of their ecosystem services.

Educating our folks using the line trimmers seems to have limited impact and it’s not always us doing the trimming of course.

Good luck.

Shawn Gurney, Dipl. Tech.

Manager, Urban Forestry and Trails

Park Operations

(604) 853-5485 lcl. 5884

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” ~Albert Einstein

From: CANUFNET <canufnet-bounces at list.web.net> On Behalf OfDwayne Gilbert via CANUFNET
Sent: Monday, November 13, 2023 5:25 AM
To: Canadian Urban Forest Network (canufnet at list.web.net) <canufnet at list.web.net>
Cc: Dwayne Gilbert <Dwayne.Gilbert at mississauga.ca>
Subject: [CANUFNET] String trimmer damage

Good morning, I have a question for all but perhaps more so for municipal arborists/contract administrators who manage newly planted trees in city parks.

·        Have you had issues with other city staff causing damage to young trees with string trimmers while performing maintenance?

·        If so, did you come up with a solution or various solutions to remedy that problem with good success?

Thank you for your time!

Dwayne Gilbert

Woodlands and Natural Areas Technician

Certified Arborist

T.R.A.Q.

City of Mississauga

(905) 615-3200 ext. 4581

Dwayne.Gilbert at Mississauga.ca

City of Mississauga | Community Services Department,

Parks, Forestry and Environment Division

Studies show trees last longer when not cut down… 

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