‘It can never be replaced.’ What it takes to save a 190-year-old tree in North Texas

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‘It can never be replaced.’ What it takes to save a 190-year-old tree in North Texas

Haley Samsel
·6 min read

To say that Melissa Martin has deep ties to Arlington is an understatement. She identifies as sixth generation resident of the city, which was home to fewer than 8,000 people in 1950.

In addition, her family donated a foundational 200 acres to the city’s celebrated River Legacy Park, and still owns several properties in the area. Martin has worked with an arborist for more than 20 years to preserve older trees on her properties, particularly those native to Tarrant County.

“All of us have a responsibility to be good stewards for the earth and the environment,” Martin said. “We have a responsibility to preserve our history.”

So, when Martin heard from a neighbor that city surveyors were at her 201 Jimat Street property with plans to build a sidewalk in early April, she immediately jumped into action. Her primary concern was how the project, on a vacant lot near the Arlington Woman’s Club on Abram Street, would affect a 190-year-old post oak that predates the founding of Arlington.

The species, native to the Cross Timbers ecoregion in Texas, is drought-resistant and can live for hundreds of years. However, post oaks are very sensitive to construction and disruption to their root systems, according to Martin and her arborist, Danny Wright.

“Post oaks have these really shallow root feeders that extend way out beyond the drip line of the tree,” Martin said. “Those tiny roots that lay just a bit below the surface are what brings all the nutrients and oxygen into the tree. Any heavy equipment going over them, cutting them, can absolutely kill the tree.”

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Martin’s frustration with construction echoes the stories of many North Texans raising concerns over the impact of rapid development on older trees, acres of which are often removed to make room for homes and businesses.

Residents in Azle and Fort Worth have recently called for stricter tree protection ordinances to encourage developers to keep trees, which are credited with reducing smog, retaining water from storms and other environmental benefits, according to the nonprofit Canopy. Arlington City Council members voted in November to update the city’s tree ordinance to reward developers who save native oak trees, including post oaks.

In Martin’s case, however, a developer is not involved in the infrastructure project that she believes will threaten the tree’s health. Chris Funches, a civil engineer for Arlington’s department of public works and transportation, said the city must meet federal requirements providing a continuous path for pedestrians, including those with physical disabilities.

The sidewalk is being built within the right-of-way on Martin’s property, Funches said, which gives the city and public utilities the ability to build infrastructure within about 11 feet of a street curb. Arlington officials have done what they can to work with Martin, he added, including an agreement to pay hundreds of dollars in costs for extra aeration and fertilizer for the tree.

“My interest is pretty much to try and make the residents as happy as they can be with the work we’re doing, because at the end of day, we still have to put a sidewalk in because of federal requirements,” Funches said. “We’re not trying to do anything to traumatize somebody’s property.”

About two years ago, the public works department was contacted by a citizen requesting sidewalks between Fielder and Abram streets, Funches said. The city investigated how it could build sidewalks in the area, and planned to begin construction last year before COVID-19 slowed infrastructure projects.

Martin said she never received official notification that the sidewalk would be constructed in the city’s right-of-way, also known as an easement. Within days of finding out from her neighbor, construction crews were on-site to excavate soil and build a retaining wall.

She contacted several city officials in the hopes that they might pause construction on the project until an agreement was reached, but did not hear back from anyone outside of the public works department.

“I felt like the city just had absolutely no regard for the life of that tree, and so it’s the property owner’s responsibility to advocate,” Martin said. “I could not ignore this tree issue. It’s a life that’s been growing there for 190 years. It survived all this construction around and all this development, and it’s still standing.”

Wright, Martin’s arborist, visited the property and determined that the tree’s feeder roots were severely damaged and would require an “organic treatment” providing nutrients to the post oak’s perimeter. The best option would have been to conduct a pre-construction treatment months in advance, but excavation had already begun in April, Wright said.

“Normally on a post oak tree, when damage has been done to the root system, you may not see symptoms, or the result of that damage for three, five, even up to seven years later after the fact,’ Wright said. “That’s why we are taking a proactive approach on this tree to inject liquid organic nutrients and fertilizer, which also aerates the soil during the injection process to help to remediate damage and stimulate new root development.”

That evaluation did not align with Jeremy Priest’s opinion as Arlington’s city forester. Priest, who no longer works with the city, wrote in an April 6 email that he “saw no issue with this tree due to the construction of the sidewalk at a distance of around 30 feet from the trunk.”

Although there were differing recommendations between the two arborists, Funches said Arlington ultimately agreed to pay the extra costs associated with Wright’s organic treatment process.

“I did add a disclaimer that we’ll do this, but at the end of the day, I can’t guarantee that the tree will survive or won’t survive,” Funches said. “During our meeting with Ms. Martin, it was mentioned that whatever happened to the tree was probably already going to happen and there was a small likelihood that us putting the sidewalk would accelerate what happened or damage it.”

Wright plans to inspect the tree at least twice per year to see if any permanent damage was done and if the tree will survive.

“It takes so long for a post oak to get up to the size that this one is and it’s not available in nurseries to replant post oaks,” Wright said. “It would have to be replaced with other species, which can throw the entire micro-ecosystem out of kilter.”

Martin is grateful that the city will cover the costs of the organic treatment, but she worries that others worried about protecting trees on their properties will not be heard by Arlington officials. Residents can contact Arlington’s public works department at 817-459-6550 or check the city’s construction project tracker if they have questions about what is planned near their properties, Funches said.

For Texans facing a similar circumstance, Martin advises finding their own certified arborist and not immediately trusting city foresters who are concerned about “meeting a construction project deadline.” Residents should reach out to environmental and historical groups in the region who can provide helpful information and reach out to city officials on their own, Martin said.

“Don’t give up and refuse to accept the antiquated argument that what you are trying to save is ‘just a tree,’” Martin said. “Once something is gone, it can never be replaced, and sometimes ‘progress’ strips us of the very things that we need to evolve, thrive, succeed and find true joy within the community where we live.”

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