Baby bur oaks on Northwestern Ave. threatened

The reality of life in Champlain Park is that streets zoned R2 (residential doubles) are being inundated with infill development projects.

The Champlain Oaks project had permission from the city to plant two bur oak saplings on the median of Northwestern Ave. We chose to plant them in a place that had no other large trees. We wanted them to thrive  for as long as their natural life span: as much as 250 years. We hoped to add to the stock of bur oaks in Champlain Park.

We did not know that the place we chose to do the planting might be subject to median destruction in support of house construction. The reality is that just about any place someone might plant a tree on the median on NW Ave. could be subject to digging and installation of new services because NW is one of the streets zoned R2.

Now, I’m moving into the realm of opinion.

Whether the bur oak sapling that has been moved will survive the winter is unknown. My own feeling is that because it has been moved so late in the season, and will have to be moved again once the digging is over, its roots are likely to be adversely and permanently affected.

Will we apply to plant new bur oaks in the spring of 2013? Yes.

Will we invite students from St. George’s to be involved? Yes.

Will we have any guarantee that our efforts will result in strong, healthy trees? No, because In Champlain Park, maintenance of existing tree stock and planting of new trees seem to be doomed activities. --Debra Huron

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