City Continues Effort to Maintain Park Tree Grove

The Douglas Fir, also known as the Oregon Fir, has been the state tree since 1939. Douglas Firs are the most common and important trees in Oregon, both ecologically and economically. They are known for their prodigious size and vast production of wood products. With a lifespan of greater than 300 years, the Douglas Fir was chosen to be planted in the expanse of land by 21081 Main St, now the City Park, in our small town of Aurora. The trees’ original purpose was to become the harvest for a wood grove. As a plantation, the trees were planted at the same time and as a result, they are all the around 100 years old and have reached their 200 foot maturity stage. The plantation grove was donated to the city of Aurora and thus became our community park. Residents can enjoy multiple facilities at the park, including an amphitheater shelter, two covered shelters, tennis, basketball, and baseball courts, a playground and horseshoe pit, as well as and events like concerts and Colony Day festivities.

For years, a disease has swept across the Douglas Fir (pseudotsuge menziesii) species: the fungus Laetiporus sulphreus, commonly known as brown cubical rot, is a common decayer of coniferous trees. The fungus spores are disseminated by wind, which leads airborne spores to enter wounds in the bark of trees and start growing within them. As it grows, it hollows the tree and, once the fungus is well established, fruiting bodies will project like brackets. Initially, the wood becomes yellowish or pale brown and, later, develops into the crumbly brown cubical rot as the bark becomes brittle. There is no known cure and infected trees have to be cut down. Forestry experts advise that when this disease is “present in recreation sites, infected trees should be considered hazardous and should be removed, to prevent possible collapse of [a] tree.”

Therefore, the city has decided to take action and keep the park safe for its residents. “It is in our interest to preserve and maintain a healthy park,” Mayor Bill Graupp said.  Because the firs were planted in groves as components to a planned artificial landscape and with the intention of harvest, the grove of trees had never been thinned. The disease can only be combated by thinning/cutting down the tree, which prevents it from dying naturally and decomposing, allowing the disease to be spread further. The conservation of the Douglas Fir species should not be a concern because the population is stable (eight of ten conifers west of the Cascades are Douglas Firs). By thinning the grove and removing the infected trees, the city has made yearly investments of $20,000 for four years that is ongoing. The tree count has slowly declined since the grove was last surveyed June 26, 2012 with a count of 199 conifers-- the highest density found along the Liberty Street side of the park. The solution not only maintains the park’s safety, but benefits the community since removed trees are open for residents to log and take as firewood. The firewood is also donated to families in need.

The continuous maintenance, provided by the city’s Public Works department, will prevent further spreading of the disease, provide free firewood for the community, and keep the park safe for the continued provision of recreational services to the residents of Aurora and the visiting public.

-Luna Moreno