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higher trunks, such as flying squirrels, while small animals, such as skunks and rabbits may prefer lower trunks in which to hide.

Staff will remove branches off trunks of dead trees on the side of trees facing trails and bike paths to reduce hazards.

Keeping branches on the other side of the tree provides perches for birds and keeps the trunk’s weight on the side away from the path.

Tree Inventory

Tree inventories are essential in tracking and ensuring tree diversity. They also expose present and potential insect and disease problems. During the fall of 1993, parks initiated an inventory of trees planted in City parks and open spaces.

Data from the International Society of Arboriculture, as well as hazardous tree evaluation practices set forth by Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources, were merged to form the guidelines for the inventory process. Currently, more than 14,000 trees are in the inventory.

A successful tree inventory must meet the following criteria:

• Determining total number of trees in parkland and on streets

• Assessing health and hazard conditions

• Determining percentage of tree species and genera to help ensure diversity of trees.

• Facilitating replacement of dead trees

• Improving tree maintenance practices

• Aiding in budget and staffing levels

• Improving management decisions regarding future park development

• Determining disease and insect management plans, such as for the emerald ash borer

The Department of Natural Resources recommends that the inventory be updated every three years to be useful as a managerial tool. Given the number of trees in Dublin’s parks and green spaces, as well as the city’s present rate of growth, adding and updating data along with coordinating collected data with the existing Geographical Information System, tree inventory is an ongoing project.

Species evaluations let us determine which specific cultivars are performing best, given Dublin’s soil profile and planting hardiness zone (set forth by the United States Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zone map), thus