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Providence Parks and Green Space


Cotuit

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aww Cotuiyyy, does thou have a Valentine yet?

Yes, but he'll be in California for business, the bastid!

If people feed me information, I'll edit the first post into an informational post with links and resources listed.

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Yes, but he'll be in California for business, the bastid!

If people feed me information, I'll edit the first post into an informational post with links and resources listed.

you could start off with links to some of the parks (at least roger williams park has a link). and maybe a map of the city highlighting the parks (there's more than people realize i think).

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Don't know if there's an existing thread, but this seems like an okay spot to start one:

I'm really interested in a conversation about the Planning Dept's new zoning proposal -- what's good, what's bad, and what to do in light of the fact that parts of it definitely violate the city's current Comp Plan. (Given that state law forbids zoning ords from violating comp plans.)

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  • 3 weeks later...

gregw...was this a sidewalk tree? Just curious...

Yep, it was.

In other tree news: the Summit Neighborhood Newsletter reports that city workers cut down a large healthy tree on Hope St. Apparently, it was supposed to receive just a trim. The SNA reports that the tree grew a lot last summer and ended up blocking CVS's huge ugly new sign.

The reason given for the tree's removal was that the whole was "too small." Wonder if that was the real reason.

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Yep, it was.

In other tree news: the Summit Neighborhood Newsletter reports that city workers cut down a large healthy tree on Hope St. Apparently, it was supposed to receive just a trim. The SNA reports that the tree grew a lot last summer and ended up blocking CVS's huge ugly new sign.

The reason given for the tree's removal was that the whole was "too small." Wonder if that was the real reason.

Just as I thought. Cities usually plant the wrong ones (too large) on sidewalks - elms, maples and the like. A smaller tree, like a dogwood or a liliac would be the better choice; those typically don't get higher than 14 feet and won't impede power lines. Too bad they cut it down.

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Just as I thought. Cities usually plant the wrong ones (too large) on sidewalks - elms, maples and the like. A smaller tree, like a dogwood or a liliac would be the better choice; those typically don't get higher than 14 feet and won't impede power lines. Too bad they cut it down.

trees like lilacs (not to be confused with Tree Lilacs) and dogwoods would never survive on the harsh Providence streetscape--they are simply not good street trees. Trees are planted on streets for many reasons, beauty is just one. It is important to increase the canopy cover in Providence to reduce heat island effect as well as help with stormwater management, fresh air, etc., and you do that with larger trees. Many large, multi-branching trees such as London Planetrees and Honey Locusts, and Elms can co-exist quite peacefully with powerlines and signs. In fact, trees and sidewalks have been known to get along as well, especially if there's a grass strip between the sidewalk and the curb.

i am the last person on this green earth to jump to the defense of city workers. However, it has been my experience that the forestry department is reluctant to take down any healthy trees. All trees that have been condemned (and they need to be condemned before they are taken down--unless of course you're the city's sidewalk contractor and then all deals with trees are off, but that's a whole different battle) are inspected by the city forester or the tree inspector (sometimes both) and they are both certified arborists. If a healthy tree was taken down i would guess that it was a political move of some sort. Or maybe it wasn't as healthy as everyone thought. Once the arborists get into the tree they can often see dangerous rot that is not evident from the ground.

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i am the last person on this green earth to jump to the defense of city workers. However, it has been my experience that the forestry department is reluctant to take down any healthy trees. All trees that have been condemned (and they need to be condemned before they are taken down--unless of course you're the city's sidewalk contractor and then all deals with trees are off, but that's a whole different battle) are inspected by the city forester or the tree inspector (sometimes both) and they are both certified arborists. If a healthy tree was taken down i would guess that it was a political move of some sort. Or maybe it wasn't as healthy as everyone thought. Once the arborists get into the tree they can often see dangerous rot that is not evident from the ground.

It was reported that the tree in front of the CVS sign had a hole that was too small. Does that sound like a legitimate reason to cut down the tree which was reported to be healthy?

The Summit Neighborhood Assoc. gives the impression that politics or perhaps even a little foul play was at work.

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It was reported that the tree in front of the CVS sign had a hole that was too small. Does that sound like a legitimate reason to cut down the tree which was reported to be healthy?

The Summit Neighborhood Assoc. gives the impression that politics or perhaps even a little foul play was at work.

the new city forester has actually been using funds to open up tree wells, so, NO that does not sound like a legitimate reason to take down the tree in front of the CVS. I will ask about it when i get back to town next week. That kind of nonsense really burns me up.

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the new city forester has actually been using funds to open up tree wells, so, NO that does not sound like a legitimate reason to take down the tree in front of the CVS. I will ask about it when i get back to town next week. That kind of nonsense really burns me up.

would they really cut down a tree because it blocks a CVS sign? what was there first? and is it on CVS property or city property?

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would they really cut down a tree because it blocks a CVS sign? what was there first? and is it on CVS property or city property?

It was a sidewalk tree and it was there long before CVS put up their jumbo sign.

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trees like lilacs (not to be confused with Tree Lilacs) and dogwoods would never survive on the harsh Providence streetscape--they are simply not good street trees. Trees are planted on streets for many reasons, beauty is just one. It is important to increase the canopy cover in Providence to reduce heat island effect as well as help with stormwater management, fresh air, etc., and you do that with larger trees. Many large, multi-branching trees such as London Planetrees and Honey Locusts, and Elms can co-exist quite peacefully with powerlines and signs. In fact, trees and sidewalks have been known to get along as well, especially if there's a grass strip between the sidewalk and the curb.

i am the last person on this green earth to jump to the defense of city workers. However, it has been my experience that the forestry department is reluctant to take down any healthy trees. All trees that have been condemned (and they need to be condemned before they are taken down--unless of course you're the city's sidewalk contractor and then all deals with trees are off, but that's a whole different battle) are inspected by the city forester or the tree inspector (sometimes both) and they are both certified arborists. If a healthy tree was taken down i would guess that it was a political move of some sort. Or maybe it wasn't as healthy as everyone thought. Once the arborists get into the tree they can often see dangerous rot that is not evident from the ground.

Hmmm...this is good information. I was told by the tree warden here that smalleer trees work better in an urban landscape than the typical elm, maple, etc. I remember he specifically said "Japanese Lilac" and Dogwood as the better trees.

Jen - do you have a specific list of good urban trees per se? My house sits on a small lot, with power lines in front, and I want to plant a tree next month so I can shield the south side from the sun and shade the street out in front. The dimensions where I want to plant the tree is a 20'x20' grassy area directly in front of my house. Thanks!

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Hmmm...this is good information. I was told by the tree warden here that smalleer trees work better in an urban landscape than the typical elm, maple, etc. I remember he specifically said "Japanese Lilac" and Dogwood as the better trees.

Jen - do you have a specific list of good urban trees per se? My house sits on a small lot, with power lines in front, and I want to plant a tree next month so I can shield the south side from the sun and shade the street out in front. The dimensions where I want to plant the tree is a 20'x20' grassy area directly in front of my house. Thanks!

a street tree in Tiverton is going to be different from a street tree in Providence. I would go with a Honey Locust, although it doesn't give dense shade, but filtered. A london plane tree will give you denser shade, or even one of the new hybrid elms. Their branching structure allows for them to be pruned to go around power lines without blowing a huge hole in the canopy a la those maples that look like donuts. If you want something smaller, you can go with a nice ornamental cherry or a pear...

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can i report in on this as a semi-ecologist? i don't know much about urban planning or what types of trees to plant, but i suggest you stick with something native to the region. it's better for the ecology of the area in the long run...

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  • 3 weeks later...

pdxstreetcar mentioned this last week, the graffiti situation in Waterplace is out of control.

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I emailed the DID last week to ask them what they did in the park. The Yellow Jackets patrol it, but they aren't responsible for it the way they are for Downcity. The Parks Department is responsible for it. The DID said they weren't doing graffiti removal right now because they need temps above freezing to do so, so I'll give the Parks Department the benefit of the doubt for now.

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I'm pretty sure Waterplace isn't in the DID's taxing zone.

Yes, that's what they told me, though the Clean and Safe team (the Yellow Jackets :) ) do patrol the area (I saw one this afternoon while I was taking pictures). The person at the DID told me they report graffiti in Waterplace to the Parks Department.

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  • 3 weeks later...

From the Prov Parks Dept:

"WATERFRONT PARK ANNOUNCEMENT RESCHEDULED

The news conference announcing a major new city park, which was scheduled for Tuesday, April 18 at 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of Eddy and Ship Streets, has been rescheduled for Monday, April 24 at 10 a.m."

Does anyone have info on this?

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