[BCNnet] Sun-Times article on storms affecting park trees (inc. Jackson Park)
Alan Anderson
casresearch@comcast.net
Sat, 19 Jul 2003 22:54:16 -0500
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Another article on the effects of our recent storms on Chicago's and =
other area towns parks and trees was in the Sun-Times today.
Alan Anderson, casresearch@comcast.net, Des Plaines=20
see below:
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-tree19.html
=20
Parks worker buffeted by wild month of storms=20
July 19, 2003=20
BY NANCY MOFFETT Staff Reporter=20
=20
=20
When it blows so hard, Brian Williquette is tossed into an overtime =
maelstrom.=20
And it's been blowing hard all month: Even before Thursday's storms, the =
Fourth of July weekend gales had left Williquette working long hours and =
weekend days to survey snapped trees.=20
About 5:30 a.m. on July 5, winds roared straight along a narrow corridor =
in the city, essentially right down 55th Street and out to the lake.=20
Since then, Williquette, the Chicago Park District's chief forester, has =
been walking that corridor, eyeballing ravaged trees.=20
Thursday's weather added dozens to the earlier toll of hundreds of =
spoiled trees on his beat, as well as trails of breakage and power =
outages elsewhere, especially in the south suburbs--Calumet City, =
Dolton, South Holland and Lansing.=20
ComEd crews worked their third big storm of the month Friday afternoon =
when about 35,000 customers were still without power, said Tim Lindberg, =
ComEd spokesman.=20
By Friday morning, the city had logged almost 400 "tree emergencies'' =
from Thursday night's storm.=20
There have been 10 thunderstorms counted by the National Weather Service =
at O'Hare only 18 days into July. Incomplete records compiled by the =
Midwest Regional Climate Center in Champaign showed the record number of =
July thunderstorm days was 13 in two separate years.=20
After July 5, the Chicago Park District applied for $6.3 million in =
emergency funds from the federal government to repair storm damage, =
which besides destroyed trees includes loss of the roof at the Davis =
Square Park field house, 4430 S. Marshfield.=20
Davis Square lost 53 of its 56 mature trees in that storm, Williquette =
said.=20
They were a wide range--catalpa, green ash, Siberian elm, honey locust. =
Even a 25-inch-diameter sycamore, usually the last tree to feel a storm. =
"It was broken right in half,'' Williquette said.=20
Washington Park, 55th and King Drive, lost 218 of around 18,000 to =
20,000 trees.=20
And the Midway Plaisance to the east lost 87.=20
Jackson Park lost 144 trees July 5 "that we know about,'' Williquette =
said.=20
Thursday night, 60 more trees were lost, 45 on the golf course in =
Jackson Park, many up to a yard in diameter.=20
It's not just wind that's the villain. Rain soaks and weakens the soil, =
especially sandy layers in Jackson Park, and leaves even the biggest =
trees vulnerable.=20
"We've been working overtime. We've hired outside crews'' and even =
before Thursday were on the job six days a week, 10 hours a day, =
Williquette said.=20
The first step was to remove anything that posed an immediate danger, =
but cleanup will take at least another three to four weeks.=20
Williquette's crews won't replace every tree.=20
New trees will be chosen with stricter attention to the original =
landscape designs of Frederick Law Olmsted for Jackson and Washington =
parks. That means fewer honey locusts and more elms.=20
The July 5 storm took out what was certainly one of the city's oldest =
trees, a landmark bur oak 3-1/2 feet in diameter on Wooded Island in =
Jackson Park.=20
"The roots failed and it went over,'' Williquette said.=20
Strong wind and weak dirt left root mats of giants that measured 15 feet =
as they lay on the ground.=20
The gusts were so powerful that they also caught one tree in Washington =
Park and "it just flew five feet,'' Williquette said. "When it landed on =
the ground, it skidded. You could see the marks in the grass'' for 25 =
feet.=20
Even after the broken limbs and fallen trunks are cleared, the heavy =
stumps will be a problem for the Park District. "The root balls are up =
in the air. They weigh too much for us to pick up,'' Williquette said.=20
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Another article on the effects of our =
recent storms=20
on Chicago's and other area towns parks and trees was in the Sun-Times=20
today.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Alan Anderson, <A=20
href=3D"mailto:casresearch@comcast.net">casresearch@comcast.net</A>, Des =
Plaines=20
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>see below:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-tree19.html">http://w=
ww.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-tree19.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial> </FONT>=20
<H2>Parks worker buffeted by wild month of storms </H2><FONT=20
face=3Darial,helvetica,sans-serif size=3D2>
<P>
<P><I>July 19, 2003</I>=20
<P><B>BY <A href=3D"mailto:nmoffett@suntimes.com">NANCY MOFFETT</A> =
Staff Reporter=20
</B>
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<P>
<P><!--publication CST --><!--pub_section NWS page 8 last modified =
7/18/03 7:46 PM-->
<P>When it blows so hard, Brian Williquette is tossed into an overtime=20
maelstrom.=20
<P>And it's been blowing hard all month: Even before Thursday's storms, =
the=20
Fourth of July weekend gales had left Williquette working long hours and =
weekend=20
days to survey snapped trees.=20
<P>About 5:30 a.m. on July 5, winds roared straight along a narrow =
corridor in=20
the city, essentially right down 55th Street and out to the lake.=20
<P>Since then, Williquette, the Chicago Park District's chief forester, =
has been=20
walking that corridor, eyeballing ravaged trees.=20
<P>Thursday's weather added dozens to the earlier toll of hundreds of =
spoiled=20
trees on his beat, as well as trails of breakage and power outages =
elsewhere,=20
especially in the south suburbs--Calumet City, Dolton, South Holland and =
Lansing.=20
<P>ComEd crews worked their third big storm of the month Friday =
afternoon when=20
about 35,000 customers were still without power, said Tim Lindberg, =
ComEd=20
spokesman.=20
<P>By Friday morning, the city had logged almost 400 "tree emergencies'' =
from=20
Thursday night's storm.=20
<P>There have been 10 thunderstorms counted by the National Weather =
Service at=20
O'Hare only 18 days into July. Incomplete records compiled by the =
Midwest=20
Regional Climate Center in Champaign showed the record number of July=20
thunderstorm days was 13 in two separate years.=20
<P>After July 5, the Chicago Park District applied for $6.3 million in =
emergency=20
funds from the federal government to repair storm damage, which besides=20
destroyed trees includes loss of the roof at the Davis Square Park field =
house,=20
4430 S. Marshfield.=20
<P>Davis Square lost 53 of its 56 mature trees in that storm, =
Williquette said.=20
<P>They were a wide range--catalpa, green ash, Siberian elm, honey =
locust. Even=20
a 25-inch-diameter sycamore, usually the last tree to feel a storm.=20
<P>"It was broken right in half,'' Williquette said.=20
<P>Washington Park, 55th and King Drive, lost 218 of around 18,000 to =
20,000=20
trees.=20
<P>And the Midway Plaisance to the east lost 87.=20
<P>Jackson Park lost 144 trees July 5 "that we know about,'' Williquette =
said.=20
<P>Thursday night, 60 more trees were lost, 45 on the golf course in =
Jackson=20
Park, many up to a yard in diameter.=20
<P>It's not just wind that's the villain. Rain soaks and weakens the =
soil,=20
especially sandy layers in Jackson Park, and leaves even the biggest =
trees=20
vulnerable.=20
<P>"We've been working overtime. We've hired outside crews'' and even =
before=20
Thursday were on the job six days a week, 10 hours a day, Williquette =
said.=20
<P>The first step was to remove anything that posed an immediate danger, =
but=20
cleanup will take at least another three to four weeks.=20
<P>Williquette's crews won't replace every tree.=20
<P>New trees will be chosen with stricter attention to the original =
landscape=20
designs of Frederick Law Olmsted for Jackson and Washington parks. That =
means=20
fewer honey locusts and more elms.=20
<P>The July 5 storm took out what was certainly one of the city's oldest =
trees,=20
a landmark bur oak 3-1/2 feet in diameter on Wooded Island in Jackson =
Park.=20
<P>"The roots failed and it went over,'' Williquette said.=20
<P>Strong wind and weak dirt left root mats of giants that measured 15 =
feet as=20
they lay on the ground.=20
<P>The gusts were so powerful that they also caught one tree in =
Washington Park=20
and "it just flew five feet,'' Williquette said. "When it landed on the =
ground,=20
it skidded. You could see the marks in the grass'' for 25 feet.=20
<P>Even after the broken limbs and fallen trunks are cleared, the heavy =
stumps=20
will be a problem for the Park District. "The root balls are up in the =
air. They=20
weigh too much for us to pick up,'' Williquette said.=20
<P><!--captionLansing, where Claude Zajakowski lives, was one south =
suburb hit hard Thursday. --JOHN H. WHITE/ SUN-TIMES -->
<P>
<P><!--End Content =
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