Village Tree Dormancy: An Exciting Time

By Margaret Jevic Mariemont Tree Board

The 2024 dormant season is upon us, and while the glitz and glamour of fall will soon fade away, the sleepy winter months are actually a very exciting time in the tree world. Fall is a great time to plant new trees, and it’s prime season for tree pruning as well.

This fall, Tree District 3 (see map), will be receiving 55-60 new street trees, with planting focusing on the highest priority areas first. High-priority locations are streets that currently have the lowest percentage of tree canopy coverage. Fieldhouse Way, Hammerstone Way, Miami Road, and West Street are among the highest priority streets in this year’s planting area. The 2024 planting season will take these areas from an average of 60% planted to an average of 88% planted.

area through September 30, which make up 40% of the total trees we are planting. Interestingly, though not terribly surprisingly, most requests for trees came from residents in these low canopy areas – a great sign that we the people notice when our tree canopy is low and desire to fix it.

tree with fun fan-shaped leaves that turn a brilliant yellow in the fall. Hammerstone Way will receive the single stem River Birch with beautiful exfoliating bark and toothed leaves. Miami Road will get the Thornless Honeylocust with small compound leaves that offer dappled summer shade and turn a lovely yellow in the fall. It can also withstand road salt and traffic spray, making it a solid choice for one of our more heavily travelled roads. The unique vaseshaped Zelkova tree will find a home on West Street and will add a pleasant red fall color to the palette.

Resident requests within Tree District 3 make up the remainder of our planting locations. While we initially set aside 25% of our total planting budget to meet resident requests, this year we are able to fill all the requests we received for this year’s planting

In addition to increasing total number of trees, one of the Tree Board’s goals is to boost the diversity of trees to help prevent mass loss from insects or disease, slow transmission of said diseases, and support many kinds of wildlife. There are many species of trees with their own personalities and strengths that will add welcome interest to the Village. Fieldhouse Way will be receiving the Ginkgo

Once fall planting is complete, next in the lineup is my personal favorite winter tree activity – young tree training, aka pruning trees less than 15 years old. I love nothing more than to gather up my gloves, safety glasses, neon vest, and pole saw, and stroll around town on a gorgeous winter day to give our young trees a little attention. Our goal is to have each planting district on a consistent pruning and planting schedule to make sure they are getting the care and shaping they need to grow strong and live long. You may see us out on your street this winter - if you do, come on out and say hi! We love to talk about what we are doing and why it’s so important. We have been extensively trained by ODNR and approved by the Village to do the work we are doing – a little bit of art, a little bit of science. After a good pruning session, I love to come home to a roaring fire, a cup of tea, and my kids informing me of who pulled whose hair while I was gone. Ah, winter.

If you would like to request a street tree for when it’s time to plant your area, fill out our time-stamped form and get on the list! https://shorturl.at/qTtIV

If you would like to volunteer with the Tree Board, please reach out to mariemonttreeboard@gmail.com. No prior experience or knowledge required – only a love of trees! Everything else is teachable.

If you would like to make a donation to the street tree fund through MPF, please visit https://mariemontpreservation.org/make-adonation/ or scan the QR code.