PARK AND CEMETERY. 
254 
PROTECTING THE STREET TREES FROM WIRES 
The care of street trees is rapidly be- 
coming one of the business proposi- 
tions of the municipality, especially 
since some of the eastern courts placed 
a high money value upon' them in judg- 
ments for damages resulting from suits 
by property owners against public ser- 
vice companies using overhead wires 
for the transmission of the electric cur- 
rent. Ruthless destruction and irre- 
trievable damage was done to the street 
trees in the early days of wire string- 
ing, and so far as the trees were con- 
cerned, those in charge of construc- 
tion had apparently no idea that there 
was any value in them, or that abut- 
ting property owners had any rights 
whatever in regard to them. 
Since the decisions of the courts that 
trees have a real value, not only to the 
town but to the property owner in con- 
nection with his property, greater care 
is exercised in erecting wire systems, 
and a higher regard for street trees 
seems so to have spread over the coun- 
try that ordinances and state laws are 
being freely enacted in many localities 
to protect them. 
The matter of injury by the electric 
wires has been once more brought to 
our attention in a communication from 
Mr. B. D. Merrell, of Superior, Wis. 
In this case the sidewalk trees have 
grown up into the wire system and the 
company desires that the city should 
either trim these trees or permit its 
employes to do it, on account of the 
leakage of current. Mr. Merrell sees 
only temporary relief in this, and asks 
how other cities meet the problem. 
As this is a subject of wide and 
pertinent interest, the following will 
afford some authoritative information: 
The park authorities of Lowell, 
Mass., allow no wire company to cut 
or trim trees in any way, shape or form, 
says Mr. Chas. H. Whittet, superinten- 
dent. • Where it is necessary to run 
wires through trees they have to be 
covered with wooden tubes. The state 
supreme court has rendered a decision 
that wire companies have no right to 
trim trees, and the park authorities 
who have charge of all trees have a 
penalty of $20 for each offence. 
In Connecticut, a state law makes it 
compulsory for each town to elect a 
tree warden, who has the care of the 
street trees; no cutting or pruning for 
wires can be done without his sanc- 
tion. Mr. G. A. Parker, superintendent 
of the parks at Hartford, says further : 
“On account of the wires, trolley poles, 
and other street appliances which mod- 
ern conditions require, I most earn- 
estly advocate the planting of street 
trees next to the property line and not 
next to the curb line. This does away 
with a great deal of trimming trees and 
injury to them. It also gives the roots 
a better feeding ground.’’ 
Newark, N. J., has a Shade Tree 
Commission which is doing excellent 
work, both for the public and for the 
trees of that district, and is gradually 
compelling the wire companies to carry 
their wires in underground conduits. 
At present this is a slow process, al- 
though three miles per annum are thus 
treated, because a greater mileage of 
wires is annually erected. The com- 
mission has passed a comprehensive or- 
dinance governing the care of trees. 
Among its many provisions it prohibits 
the fastening of horses or any other 
animals to the trees or within dis- 
tance of doing any injury to them; it 
prohibits the attaching of signs or other 
devices ; electric wires must be so se- 
cured that they cannot come in contact 
with any trees ; no interference with the 
commission is permitted in its work of 
planting, pruning, spraying, or remov- 
ing trees in public highways or parks. 
Heavy fines and possibly imprisonment 
faces the offender against any of the 
provisions of this ordinance. 
With regard to injury to trees by the 
leakage of current, Mr. Carl Bannwart, 
secretary of the above commission, 
says: “We find the injury inflicted by 
wires quite as great even when the 
electric current is not high, as the con- 
stant swaying against branches wears 
through them or makes them vulner- 
able to decay.” 
Mr. C. M. Coring, known as the fa- 
ther of the Minneapolis, Minn., Park 
System, writes as follows : “There is 
now a very good understanding between 
the public service companies and the 
park board. For a long time there was 
a great deal of friction owing to the 
acts of vandalism of the companies. In 
this as in other cities whenever the 
TREES BUTCHERED FOR WIRES IN CLEVELAND. 
