The trees lining State Street hold the pedestrian walkway's future in their roots.
As the State Street Design Project rapidly approaches a vote by the Common Council on March 5, concerned citizens have raised questions on issues ranging from the new design of bus shelters to the lack of public seating .
But it is the proposed removal of the honeylocusts trees along State Street which occupied the majority of the Downtown Coordinating Committee's three-hour special public hearing and meeting Thursday .
Under the plan, the honeylocusts would be replaced with several varieties of elms and ash trees to provide the street with better spacing between the vegetation. Council members and the public alike questioned the thinking which would cut down fully mature trees and replace them with smaller, younger sapling. City planners said the honeylocusts are showing signs of decline and will need to be replaced regardless of the design.
Graphics of State Street after the completion of the redesign show large trees with overarching canopies, but Laura Jull, an Assistant Professor of Horticulture at UW-Madison said the scenario is unlikely because the trees would die before they reached that point of maturity.
\You're lucky to get 10 to15 years out of trees in downtown area,"" she said. ""There isn't a healthy tree on State Street.""
The choice of elms to replace the current trees fell under criticism from Hugh Iltis, professor Emeritus of Botany at UW-Madison, when he addressed the committee.
""The elms are, in general, very apt to getting insect pests,"" he said. ""I think spraying DDT on state street every year is not a very good idea.""
Despite her dislike of certain items contained in the plan, Jull said she supports the removal of the trees since they would be permanently harmed during the renovations made to the sidewalks and street.
""It's not worth trying to save the trees,"" she said. ""Anytime you rip up the street... you just kill the trees.""
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he expected the issue to pop up ever since the redesign plan was finished last November.
""Trees are a very emotional issue,"" he said. ""Nobody wants to cut down a tree. We all want to be Johnny Appleseed.""
Some committee members requested an independent arborist to answer questions which were raised during the meeting. The process to obtain an arborist could take up to three months and Verveer said he is worried the final design proposal will not be ready for its March 5 date with the Council.
""I think it is quite a possibility the date the common council set for adopting the plan will have to be pushed back,"" he said.
The Downtown Coordinating Committee will hold another public hearing and meeting next Tuesday at 5:00 in the Marquee Room of the Civic Center, 211 State St.
