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 The Main Street Tree Manifesto: Trees are a Key Part of an Integrated Streetscape The Village of Irvington values people. We want to make our Main Street as pedestrian-friendly as possible. We want to encourage our children to walk to school and our citizens to enjoy our streets, parks and views. We want to encourage visitors to take advantage of all our village has to offer. The Village of Irvington values its businesses. We understand that the vibrancy of our village depends on a thriving and enthusiastic business community. We understand that there is synergy between prosperous businesses and a successful village – not just in monetary terms but also in terms of spirit. The Village of Irvington values diversity. We embrace our differences and continually try to keep our focus on how we can involve and address the concerns of all of the community – kids, teens, commuters, senior citizens, workmen, hedge fund managers, entrepreneurs, dreamers, builders, developers, moms and dads, and everyone in between. We need to accommodate them all. The Village of Irvington values its history. Our history has been about the juxtaposition of commercial enterprise with open space and scenic beauty since the beginning. Our community has remained relatively small (pop 2,299 in 1898 and 6,631 in 2000) and the qualities that attracted wealthy New Yorkers to build summer residences here in the 19th and early 20th centuries - convenient rail transportation, cool summer breezes off the Hudson and green space – still exist. The Main Street streetscape includes many examples of the architecture of 100 years ago, and we value its historic character. The Village of Irvington values its views. Open views of the Hudson River can be seen from the moment you turn onto Main Street from Route 9 and often include ships passing by. The river draws you and captivates you. You know you’re home when you see the river. The Village of Irvington values trees. We already have one of the most comprehensive Tree Ordinances in the area, and our volunteer Tree Commission, under the leadership of Mark Gilliland, has been actively revising that code to reflect state-of-the-art principles of urban forest management. We have a Tree Inventory for our village, providing us with facts and data to help us understand how to plan. We know that trees are good for people, for the ecosystem, and for economics. The Village of Irvington values sustainability. Sustainability means that any plans we make now should have value for the long term. Our Main Street trees need our help! We don’t have a sustainable long-term plan for tree management along Main Street. Main Street trees can seem “invisible” – we don’t look at them too closely and we don’t think about why they’re important to us. We notice that there have some blossoms in spring and we have the general impression of green leaves in summer. Maybe some of us have noticed trees being removed or being harshly pruned by Con Ed contractors.

 

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  But let’s remember why Main Street trees are important:

• They provide benefits to the environment by virtue of their foliage – absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, creating shade, providing habitat. But really the vast majority of our “urban forest” is located in the rest of the Village. The photo below, taken from across the river, gives a good overview of the tree canopy in our village, even though the picture was taken in winter.

The contribution of Main Street trees to this canopy is minimal. So we really need to look at other, perhaps less obvious reasons that these trees are so important for our village.

• They soften the streetscape. Main Street is not very wide and there is parking on both sides of the street. It is one of only 2 ways to get to the train station and the only way that delivery trucks can serve the Main Street area. That means lots of cars, trucks, asphalt and concrete. There needs to be soft amongst the hard. Only a few buildings have open space next to their facades for planting, so the street trees provide most of the softscape.

• They provide visual uniformity. At least that’s what they used to provide, and should again.

Visual uniformity of trees along Main Street is a long-standing tradition, both here in Irvington and all over America. It’s what you expect to see – a tree-lined street speaks of prosperity and calming predictability. A visually uniform “treescape” ties together disparate building facades and heights, creating a stronger sense of neighborhood identity.

• An aesthetically pleasing streetscape that includes healthy trees and flowers draws people to

want to walk, making the village more “livable” and potentially improving business opportunities.

• Healthy trees with multi-season interest connect people to nature and engage the human senses. The trees may have flowers, berries, beautiful fall foliage and interesting bark. Songbirds may be attracted to the berries, seasonal flower displays with beautiful colors and textures may be planted under the trees and winter lights may twinkle warmly on the branches. Being connected to nature is a great stress reducer.

• Healthy trees can capture stormwater that would otherwise run off into storm sewers.

 

 

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 The challenge for municipal arborists and planners is to provide a visually uniform “treescape” while also including sufficient diversity of tree species. We know that the only sustainable plan for street trees is to include enough different kinds of trees that diseases or pests can’t wipe out the entire “treescape”. The special added challenge that planners for Irvington’s Main Street face is the need to keep the trees from growing into the overhead wires. We see examples of how Con Ed “prunes” street trees to provide sufficient line clearance, and recognize that this kind of pruning is unnatural, unhealthy and downright ugly. Our best and most sustainable “treescape” will be achieved if we use small trees that won’t need to be pruned or topped. Oaks that have been planted in our 4’ X 3’ tree wells may start as 10’ tall trees, but they’re destined by their biology to become 80 - 100’ tall with trunks of 25” diameter or larger. Main Street can’t accommodate trees of this size, even if there was open soil space and a healthy root zone. We may yearn for the “good old days” of stately elms, but such trees are simply too large. Small trees need less space. The key is to find a way to re-create that procession of trees down Main Street – visual uniformity – without using trees that will grow tall. To do that, there needs to be an additional design element that contributes to the visual uniformity. We propose to submit a grant to the NYS DEC Urban and Community Forestry Program to fund a pilot project, targeting one block in the middle of Main Street to remove existing over-mature or declining street trees and replace them with new trees in planters. Our plan is a sustainable one. We are proposing to use small ornamental trees planted above ground in freestanding planters to create visual uniformity. We’ve selected 5 different species of small ornamental trees to use based on their relatively slow growth rate and their ornamental qualities – spring flowers, berries, colored leaves, beautiful fall foliage colors and interesting silhouettes. Most of the chosen trees are native as well. The pilot project will address just one block of Main Street at first, since we believe that our proposed design and placement of the new trees in planters will provide enough visual uniformity to give Irvington citizens an idea of what this plan would look like if it were extended to other blocks of Main Street. If, in the end, a decision is made that this is not the way to go for our Main Street trees, the planters can be easily relocated to other parts of the Village and the existing tree wells will still be there. One critical aspect of this project is the choice of which planter to use. There are several choices of planter style, with the caveat that the chosen planter must be large enough to accommodate a small tree, weatherproof and sturdy enough to withstand the occasional conflict with a bumper. The idea of an integrated streetscape is an important long-term goal for our Village, and the above ground planters that we use in this pilot project need to integrate with other existing and planned streetscape elements. We propose that the various stakeholders in the planter decision include the following: Tree Commission, Architectural Review Board, Beautification Committee, Business Improvement Committee, Chamber of Commerce, Department of Public Works and Department of Parks and Recreation. In the Project Timeline for the grant, the initial phase includes time for discussion of which planters and trees to purchase. The next pages of this document show a series of pictures of the trees we have selected as well as how aboveground planters with trees can create visual uniformity by adding a processional quality.

 

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 Serviceberry

‘Canada Red’ Chokecherry

Cornelian Cherry Dogwood

Rutgers Hybrid Pink Dogwood

Hawthorn

Spring Flowers Berries Fall Foliage

 

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  Examples of Trees and Flowers in Above Ground Planters.    The planters themselves add to the visual uniformity and will emphasize the processional design.

 

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For Irvington’s Main Street, we will use commercial-grade planters large enough to accommodate small trees. The types of planters which are best to use fall into two categories: those constructed of powder-coated steel with a heavy-duty plastic insert for planting (insert not shown in picture below) or those made of an aggregate of sand, dried silica and cement with glass fiber strands providing longitudinal tensile strength and formulated to resist alkalinity. A few examples are illustrated below (for information and inspiration only). Materials, finishes, shapes and sizes will be determined if the grant is funded.

FAR PAGE Downtown StreetscapeCity of Midland, MI

Village Collection FRP planters and CWM container irrigation systems line the main street of town.

Pots, Planters & Site Furnishings66

Part No. Material Exterior Size (top x bottom x height)

Interior Size (top x bottom x height)

Weight(lbs.)

Soil Volume(cubic ft.)

Matching Irrigation

VS-1800 FRP 19.5” x 15” x 20” 14.7” x 14.5” x 19.75” 13 2.6 CWC-1300/CWM-1114-MS

VS-2400 FRP 23.5” x 18.5” x 23.75” 16.7” x 18” x 23.5” 19 4.7 CWC-1500/CWM-1114-2k

VS-3000 FRP 30.5” x 24.5” x 29.5” 25.25” x 24” x 29.25” 33 10 CWC-2100/CWM-1720-2k

VS-3600 FRP 36.5” x 30.5” x 30” 31” x 29.7” x 29.5” 46 15 CWC-2500/CWM-1720-3k

VS-4200 FRP 42.5” x 35.5” x 33” 36” x 35” x 32.5” 50 22.5 CWC-3300/CWM-1720-4k

VS-6000 FRP 60.5” x 54” x 39” 53” x 52” x 38.5” 90 59 CWM-2920-4k

VCS-2400 GFRC 23.5” x 21” x 23.75” 19” x 19” x 23” 190 4.4 CWC-1600/CWM-1114-2k

VCS-3000 GFRC 30.5” x 27” x 29.5” 25.5 x 25” x 28.75” 300 9 CWC-2100/CWM-1720-2k

VCS-3600 GFRC 36.5” x 33” x 30” 30.75” x 31” x 29” 370 14.5 CWC-2500/CWM-1720-3k

VCS-4200 GFRC 42.5 x 39.5” x 33” 36” x 37.5” x 32” 475 22 CWC-3300/CWM-1720-4k

VCS-6000 GFRC 60.5 x 54” x 39” 53” x 50” x 38” 825 58 CWM-2920-4k

Site FurnishingsPart No. Material Shape Exterior Dimensions Description

VS-ASH FRP Round 18”dia x 24”H Ash Can with Lid (see page 88)

VCS-ASH GFRC Round 18”dia x 24”H Ash Can with Lid (see page 88)

VS-TRS FRP Round 24”dia x 30”H Trash Can with LLDPE Liner and Lid (see page 88)

VCS-TRS GFRC Round 24”dia x 30”H Trash Can with LLDPE Liner and Lid (see page 88)

VS-ATR FRP Round 24”dia x 30”H Trash Can with LLDPE Linder and Ash Lid (see page 88)

VCS-ATR GFRC Round 24”dia x 30”H Trash Can with LLDPE Linder and Ash Lid (see page 88)

Village CollectionA traditional style that stands out in a crowd.

How do you go traditional in a modern world? The Village Collection are lightweight fiberglass and concrete planters that are at home in nearly any urban setting. The style, with it’s slight taper and elegant foot, give a traditional impression without really being traditional.

Rounds

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SquaresPart No. Material Exterior Size

(top x bottom x height)Interior Size (top x bottom x height)

Weight(lbs.)

Soil Volume(cubic ft.)

Matching Irrigation

UR-1800 FRP 18” x 14.5” x 24” 14” x 14” x 23” 25 3.5 CWC-R1100/CWM-R1114-MS

UR-2400 FRP 24” x 19.5” x 27” 21” x 19” x 26” 30 7.2 CWC-1850/CWM-R1114-2k

URT-2400 FRP 24” x 20.5” x 48” 22” x 20” x 47.5” 65 11 CWC-1850/CWM-R1114-2k

UR-3000 FRP 30” x 24.5” x 34” 26” x 24” x 33” 40 14 CWM-R2020-MS

UR-3600 FRP 36” x 30” x 34” 32” x 29.2” x 33” 75 20 CWM-R2020-2k

UR-4200 FRP 42” x 36.5” x 36” 38” x 36” x 35.5” 85 30 CWM-R2020-2k

UR-4800 FRP 48” x 42” x 42” 44” x 41” x 41” 125 48 CWM-R2920-2k

UR-6000 FRP 60” x 53.4” x 42” 56” x 53” x 41.5” 135 75 CWM-R2920-4k

UR-7200 FRP 72” x 65” x 44” 68” x 64” x 43.5” 165 117 CWM-R2920-4k-E

UCR-2400 GFRC 24” x 19.5” x 27” 21” x 16.5” x 26” 250 5.5 CWC-1850/CWM-R1114-2k

UCRT-2400 GFRC 24” x 20.5” x 48” 22” x 18.5” x 47” 400 12 CWC-R1850/CWM-R1114-2k

UCR-3000 GFRC 30” x 24.5” x 32” 26” x 22.5” x 31” 365 12 CWM-R2020-MS

UCR-3600 GFRC 36” x 30” x 34” 32” x 28” x 33” 500 20 CWM-R2020-2k

UCR-4800 GFRC 48” x 42” c 32” 43” x 40” x 31” 800 44 CWM-R2920-2k

RectanglesPart No. Material Exterior

(top) (bottom) (height)Interior (top) (bottom) (height)

Weight(lbs.)

Soil Volume(cubic ft.)

Matching Irrigation

UR-241824 FRP 24” x 18” 20.5” x 13.5” 24” 20” x 14” 20” x 13” 23.5” 17 4.75 CWM-R1114-MS

UR-361824 FRP 36” x 18” 32.5 “x 13.5” 24” 32” x 14” 32” x 13” 23.5” 33 7.3 CWM-R1114-2k

UR-362424 FRP 36” x 24” 32” x 20” 24” 32” x 20” 32” x 20” 23.5” 35 9.5 CWM-R1614-2k

UR-363030 FRP 36” x 30” 38” x 25” 30” 32” x 26” 31” x 25” 29.5” 46 15 CWM-R1614-2k

UR-481824 FRP 48” x 18” 44.5” x 13.5” 24” 44” x 14” 44” x 13” 23.5” 40 10 CWM-R1614-2k

UR-482424 FRP 48” x 24” 44” x 20” 24” 44” x 20” 44” x 20” 23.5” 45 13 CWM-R1614-2k

UR-483030 FRP 48” x 30” 43” x 25” 30” 44” x 25” 43” x 25” 29.5” 55 20 CWM-R1620-2k

UR-601824 FRP 60” x 18” 56.5” x 13.5” 24” 56” x 14” 56” x 13” 23.5” 50 12.5 CWM-R2014-2k

UR-602424 FRP 60” x 24” 56” x 20” 24” 56” x 26” 56” x 20” 23.5” 55 16 CWM-R2014-2k

UR-603030 FRP 60” x 30” 56” x 25” 30” 56” x 26” 56” x 20” 29.5” 67 25.5 CWM-R2020-2k

UCR-241824 GFRC 24” x 18” 20.5” x 13.5” 24” 20” x 14” 18.5” x 11.5” 23” 190 4.2 CWM-R1114-MS

UCR-361824 GFRC 36” x 18” 32.5 x 13.5” 24” 32” x 14” 30.5” x 11.5” 23” 250 6.6 CWM-R1114-2k

UCR-481824 GFRC 48” x 18” 44.5” x 13.5 24” 44” x 14” 42.5” x 11.5” 23” 315 9 CWM-R1614-2k

UCR-601824 GFRC 60” x 18” 56.5” x 13.5” 24” 56” x 14” 54.5” x 11.5” 23” 375 11 CWM-R2014-2k

Pots, Planters & Site Furnishings72

Metro Collection Less traditional, yet not rigid and boring.

The Metro Collection was born out of a desire to do something that would work with current architecture, but wouldn’t feel cold and featureless. We gave the form a seductive curve, then a simple reveal to emphasize the shape. Whether in fiberglass, metallic infused, or GFRC, you’ll agree that this collection works in most urban settings.

RoundsPart No. Material Exterior Size

(top x bottom x height)Interior Size (top x bottom x height)

Weight(lbs.)

Soil Volume(cubic ft.)

Matching Irrigation

MS-1800 FRP 20” x 15” x 21” 14.8” x 14.8” x 20.5” 14 3 CWC-1300/CWM-1114-MS

MS-2400 FRP 26” x 20” x 25” 20” x 19.5” x 24.5” 22 6 CWC-1600/CWM-1114-2k

MS-3000 FRP 30” x 24.5” x 28” 24” x 24” x 27.5” 28 9.3 CWC-2100/CWM-1720-2k

MS-3600 FRP 36” x 30” x 31” 29.5” x 29.2” x 30.5” 50 15 CWC-2500/CWM-1720-3k

MS-4200 FRP 42” x 35” x 34” 35” x 34.6” x 33.5” 70 23 CWC-2800/CWM-1720-3k

MS-4800 FRP 48” x 42” x 36” 41” x 42” x 35.5” 80 33 CWM-2920-MS

MS-6000 FRP 60” x 52” x 39” 53” x 52” x 38.5” 95 55 CWM-2920-3k

MCS-2400 GFRC 26” x 20” x 25” 20” x 18” x 24” 215 5.2 CWC-1600/CWM-1114-2k

MCS-3000 GFRC 30” x 24.5” x 28” 24” x 22.5” x 27” 280 8.5 CWC-2100/CWM-1720-2k

MCS-3600 GFRC 36” x 30” x 31” 29.5” x 28” x 30” 375 14 CWC-2500/CWM-1720-3k

MCS-4200 GFRC 42” x 35” x 34” 34.9” x 33” x 33” 480 21.5 CWC-2800/CWM-1720-3k

SquaresMR-1800 FRP 20” x 15” x 19” 14.8” x 14.8” x 18.5” 15 3.4 CWC-R1100/CWM-R1114-MS

MR-2400 FRP 24” x 19” x 25” 18.75” x 18.5” x 24.5” 31 6 CWC-R1500/CWM-R1114-2k

MR-3000 FRP 30” x 23.5” x 28” 24” x 23” x 27.5” 54 11.4 CWM-R1620-2k

MR-3600 FRP 36” x 30” x 31” 29.5” x 29.2” x 30.5” 70 19.5 CWM-R2020-2k

MR-4800 FRP 48.75” x 42” x 33” 41.5” x 42” x 33” 85 36 CWM-R2020-4k

MCR-2400 GFRC 24” x 19” x 25” 18.75” x 17” x 24” 230 5.3 CWC-R1500/CWM-R1114-2k

MCR-3000 GFRC 30” x 23.5” x 28” 24” x 21.5” x 27” 330 10.5 CWM-R1620-2k

MCR-3600 GFRC 36” x 30” x 31” 29.5” x 28” x 30” 440 17.5 CWM-R2020-2k

FAR PAGE 211 Main Street (Charles Schwab Headquarters)San Francisco, CA

Metro Collection squares in metal-infused bronze with DWM modular container irrigation line the terrace of this roofgarden.Design and Photo: Smith & Smith Landscape Architects; Installation: Valleycrest Landscape Development.