Evening star., 1940-08-11

Hidden beneath impervious pave.
ment and sidewalks, amid a jungle
of public utility lines, there goes
on ufe-and-death struggle.
Here, out OF sight, is being de-
cided whether the trees which now
line our streets, the young trees
Just planted and those yet unborn
at the city nursery, will be able to
win the fight against pavements
through which air and water cam
not possibly seep, ard against hard
packed clay, gas, water, sewer, tele-
phone and electric lines, and the
men who plan where they shall run
and dig the trenches in which to lay
them.
Many Should Be Dead.
Time alone will tell. Right now
Clifford Lanham, superintendent of
trees and parkings, says he just
doesn't see how they stay alive.
There are many which, by rights,
should be dead, but aren't.
1t takes more than a year and
q day, however, to kill a tree.
Sometimes trees die Is years after
the condition arises which ultimate
ly causes their death. Perhaps this
is the reason many trees apparently
I are alive and well. Maybe in 1855
they will not be.
There is, of course, no doubt about
the results of a street-widening pro-
gram. Either the cake must be eaten
or kept intact. Wider streets mean
. starting afresh with young trees in
nearly all cases.
There are those who proclaim
against widening streets, saying that
abolition of downtown parking and
systems of one-way streets would
do the trick. Washington has
whale of traffic problem, as every
one knows, however. Perhaps wider
streets are the only answer.
But widening a street simply
means starting fresh and Mr.. Lam
ham even goes so far as to be CRATE
'ful for the widening program in
many cases.
He reasons thus:
Back in 1872, when Washington
decided to make of itself a city
worthy of being the Capital of a
great Nation, the need for street
trees was apparent. Those who
planted them, however, we're un-
willing to wait 40 years for the city
to become green. Result of their
impatience was the use of soft, fast
growing types of trees-silver
NAPLES, ashleaf naples or negundos,
aspen poplars, Carolina poplars
and Lombardy poplars. The city
was green in much less time than
If harder, slower growing trees,
better suited to street conditions had
been used.
The days of brick sidewalks and
horses and buggies, too, were kind
to trees. A minimum of under
ground utility lines were in exist
ence. Water could seep through
the bricks. The trees fourished and
grew big.
Proved Unsatisfactory.
But, Mr.. Lanham recounts. these
trees proved an unsatisfactory
heritage to his department. They
grew fast but didn't live long. They
Eooted at the surface. Their roots
broke into sewer and water lines
They rendered the sidewalks uneven
and caused lawsuits against the
government. Their branches proved
brittle and every thunderstorm to-
day sees streets Uttered with fallen
maple branches and often fallen
trees which at times prove unwel-
come to automobile passengers.
A personal investigation by this
writer has proved that the majority
of streets which have been wideneo
since 1924 were lined with these un.
desirable types of trees.
In their places, investigation
shows, are now Oriental planetrees
(almost indistinguishable from g
sycamore), red oaks, willow oaks
elms, Norway naples and ghinkos
They are not impressive now
little spindly things that have to be
supported by tree boxes and guy
wires. But a full-grown Orienta
planetree land this particular specie:
has proved the best all-arouno
street tree) is beautiful tree-fal
/ more so than the silver NAPLES ir
the minds of tree men.
1t is immune to nearly all disease.
/ and those which do affect 1t are
f easily controlled. 1t roots compactly
and deeply, it grows to height ol
80 feet when mature and, if allowed
to round out has branch .spreae