Alexander Johnson, an urban forestry inspector with the City of Raleigh, talked trees: how to trim them, when to plant them and what kind to buy.
A brief synopsis:
The best time to prune is during the winter when trees are dormant and before they fully leaf out.
Johnson recommended cleaning pruning equipment with a 10% bleach solution to avoid spreading diseases among the trees.
He recommended a handful of trees to plant including cornus mas or the "conaleinchery dogwood" (it's good for birds); cornus kousa or the "kousa dogwood" (it's easier to find and is a good value that thrives in dark, well-drained soil); chioanthus virginica or "white fringetree"; chioanthus retusus or "chinese fringetree"; and gymnodadus diocus or "Kentucky Coffee Tree" (a good shade tree that's urban and drought tolerant).
Johnson urged people to "do a little research" first before buying a tree. Don't just go to Lowe's and pick what they have in stock, he said.
He also recommends buying container trees rather than those balled in burlap. Container trees have their entire root system, he said. Typically, trees lose a large portion of their root system when they're dug from the ground to be balled and burlapped.
ACTION ITEM: If you're looking for a free tree, visit Johnson in Moore Square March 8 at the Raleigh Run for the Oaks. He'll be giving away bald cypress, cherry bark oak and white oak trees. CP&L will also be giving out small-maturing trees that may include red buds.
For more information, contact BHA Vice President Jeff Groves who taped Johnson's entire presentation.
Want to learn even more? Check out these web sites:
International Society of Arboriculture -- www.isa-arbor.com
ISA Southern Chapter -- www.isasouthern.org
Treelink -- www.treelink.org
North Carolina Urban Tree Evaluation Program -- http://fletcher.ces.state.nc/programs/nursery/ncutep
NC State Master Gardener Program -- www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/masgar
Questions for Johnson? Call 874.4115
Demolition By Neglect 2003
Chuck Dopler is coordinating the efforts this year to identify severely neglected houses in Boylan Heights. The review team, which also includes BH neighbor Tom Luther, plans to identify houses this month that could potentially end up on the final list.
Pictures of the "candidate" houses will be presented at the March BHA meeting.
Houses deemed eligible for the city's Demolition by Neglect program are those with severe deterioration to external walls, foundations, chimneys and porches; gaping, rotting holes; ineffective waterproofing and other problems that threaten the house.
ACTION ITEM: Joseph Huberman suggested that the BHA write thank-you letters to homeowners who have made marked improvements to homes that have previously made the Demolition By Neglect list or been candidates for the list.
TTA Update
The TTA has acquired a "good chunk of the right of way" needed to construct the rail system from Research Triangle Park to North Raleigh, Groves said.
Project officials have acquired the environmental impact statement and are now moving into the final design phase. That involves track alignments, station placement and noise considerations.
Plans still call for the tracks to run beneath the BH bridge as the neighborhood asked.
It's not clear how much funding the project has received so far.
Noise Update - The Office nightclub
Responding to complaints from BH neighbors on the northeast section of the neighborhood, the owner of the nightclub is working to dampen the noise.
Jeff Jennings ordered "sound dampening material" totaling $5,400 Feb. 24. It should be installed by the second weekend in March, he said.
Jennings said he also limited to Friday and Saturday the nights when music is played on the patio. Ninety-nine percent of the noise from the club emanates from the outdoor section, he said.
He plans to limit the outdoor music to the weekends, even when the weather improves, he said.
Still think it's too loud? Call Jennings or the "manager on duty" at 828.9994.
ACTION ITEM: Jennings invited the neighborhood to hold a BHA social event at the nightclub.
New Convention Center update
The convention center study panel - hoping to breathe new life into Raleigh's downtown by building a new convention center - sided with BHA and picked the site just west of the existing center. The location stretches from Fayetteville Street Mall to Dawson Street between Cabarrus and Lenoir streets. The new convention and hotel complex would be paid for, according to the N&O, "with an estimated $200 million in countywide hotel and meal taxes already in place."
Also according to the paper: the panel will give its recommendations to the City Council and Wake County commissioners in April. If approved, the center could open in Jan. 2006.
Neighborhood Beautification update
At the January BHA meeting, participants agreed to apply for city grants for landscaping and trashcans at the three entrances to the neighborhood. Turns out the application process is more complicated than people thought.
ACTION ITEM: Jeff Groves suggested that the Garden Club could take on the task of applying for the grants. Regular readers of the BHA newsletter will recall, however, that the Garden Club needs members. Apply now and take on this worthy task. Elizabeth Dunbar heads the club for all those eager green-thumbers.
The Pink Truck - It's been DELAYED!!
The pink truck will NOT troll the streets of BH in April. Don't clutter the sidewalks with your unwanted belongings just yet. Jeff Groves informed those present that the truck will visit the neighborhood in May. The date has not been determined.
Project Enlightenment Playground
Project Enlightenment officials notified the neighborhood that the playground will be closed to general use because too many dogs did duties that their owners failed to clean up.
ACTION ITEM: Scoop your poop!
BHA Newsletter
The neighborhood is seeking a thoughtful BH neighbor - preferably one with spelling savvy - to pull together the newsletter that we all so love and cherish.
"Cease and desist"
On behalf of the BHA, Jeff Groves plans to send a letter to the N&O asking them to "cease and desist" distribution of the Mid Week advertisement.
Letter highlights:
"The Mid Week paper is considered a nuisance to the neighborhood as it is dumped in the front yards of all homes in the neighborhood. The neighborhood considers this an eyesore and demands that The News and Observer stop this practice immediately unless you have written permission to deliver the Mid Week paper from the resident of the home."
The meeting adjourned at 8:30pm.