Trees leaving Main Street – Roadside plantings, now 30 years old, grew too large

LACONIA — Trees, sometimes described as lungs of the earth, are seen as breathing a natural feel into city centers, including Laconia.

Street trees, introduced locally more than a generation ago, have lined stretches of Pleasant and Main streets in the heart of the city’s commercial district.

Unfortunately the trees that were planted back then have proved unsuitable for a variety of reasons and are now being replaced.

Public Works crews have cut down 29 trees along Main Street between the Winnipesaukee River bridge and Veterans Square, on the lower part of Pleasant Street, and along Canal Street.

The plan is to replace 17 of the trees, according to city Parks and Facilities Director Amy Lovisek.

The new trees will be planted along Main Street between where it intersects with Pleasant Street and Church, and up to Veterans Square, as well as along Pleasant Street up to Veterans Square. The plan is to plant new trees along Main Street this summer, and on Pleasant Street next year, Lovisek said.

The cost of the project is estimated to be $95,000, she said.

The replacement trees are being chosen for their size (not too big and tall), their ability to resist road salt, ease of maintenance, and a minimum of mess. The new trees will be a mix of Japanese maples, a variety of ginkgo called Princeton Sentry, and Kwanzan cherry, Lovisek explained.

The opening of the sidewalk tree beds will be enlarged to give the roots more room to develop with the hope that as the trees grow their roots will not cause the sidewalk pavement to heave.

Trees that had been planted on Main Street next to the parking garage structure, and those along Canal Street will not be replaced because of the narrowness of those corridors, Lovisek said.

Among the trees that have been taken down, some had become overgrown while others were unhealthy, she said.

Laconia has worked to promote tree planting throughout the city for more than 30 years. In 1990 it joined the Tree City USA program which is promoted by the National Arbor Day Foundation and recognizes those communities which have made a commitment to plant, maintain, and manage tree assets.