Park Board: Trees Need an Inch of Water Each Week

With temperatures hitting an all-summer high in August, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is reminding citizens that trees and other vegetation is at risk:
 
Minneapolis' boulevard trees still need an inch of water every week throughout the summer and fall. Extremely dry conditions followed the spring and early summer rainfall that drenched the city and caused significant damage, and the heat and lack of precipitation are causing stress on the City's urban forest. Lack of water can make trees vulnerable to insects and disease and cause permanent damage to young and old trees alike. Trees up to five years old are especially susceptible. In any week that it rains less than one inch, yard and boulevard trees need to be watered. The Park Board plants and mulches boulevard trees but relies on residents or businesses nearby to water them.

An effective way to water a tree is to turn on a slow stream of water (just so the hose is weeping) for a few hours. Watering in the evening after dinner time is most effective since it minimizes evaporation, and trees tend to take most of their water during the night. Watering one tree weekly costs only about $3 for 23 weeks, or for the entire summer / fall season. For people who lose track of when they last watered a tree, a good way to remember is to water trees on the same day trash is picked up.

If you hire a tree servicing company to prune a tree in your yard, make sure to use a company licensed in Minneapolis to ensure that the tree gets the right care. For more information and a list of licensed tree servicers, visit www.minneapolismn.gov/licensing/business-licensing_treeservice.

Taking care of our trees means protecting our Minneapolis quality of life. Research proves that healthy trees are beautiful, increase property values, help improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gases by absorbing carbon dioxide, save energy, keep the city cooler, provide homes for wildlife and help manage stormwater.

For information on tree care and the urban forest, call the Park Board’s Forestry Department at 612-313-7710, email forestry@minneapolisparks.org or visitwww.minneapolisparks.org/trees.

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