'Busco Chamber trimmed trees to improve tree health, resident safety
(Talk of the Town photo courtesy BuscoVoice) Newly trimmed trees in downtown Churubusco, above, are capturing the attention of residents who are curious why the trees were pruned in such a manner.
By Jennifer Zartman Romano
The trimming of trees along the historic Churubusco business corridor has caught the attention of many town residents.
According to Churubusco Chamber of Commerce president Chris Tomlinson, the trees were trimmed recently by the Chamber to address several problems.
"These trees that were planted years ago were actually the wrong trees and should have never grown beyond a height of more than 6-8 feet," Tomlinson said. "Unfortunately, they had grown well beyond that height and were starting to interfere with the visibility of our businesses signs and storefronts."
The trees were also becoming a nuisance for those visiting the downtown area as well, scratching cars and hanging low enough they created a pedestrian hazard as well.
"An arborist informed us that trimming these types of trees in late March or early April was crucial to their success and giving us the ability to keep them tamed. They also said that some of the trees were not healthy and a bit of pruning might help them regain some strength this spring," added Tomlinson.
Tomlinson said that because the trees were originally purchased by the Churubusco Chamber of Commerce, they felt it was their responsible to look after them.
"We feel it’s our responsibility to keep them maintained and as healthy as possible and at the same time keeping our goal of smaller trees lining the streets," he said.
Tomlinson said he's received many questions and concerns from residents about the trees and the recent trimming.
"We realize they currently do not look very attractive, but our experts have seen photographs of what we’ve done and have assured us that come this spring they all will start to bloom and have a little umbrella-like shape to them," Tomlinson added. "We feel that come this summer and next when we still have the beauty of our trees and our businesses have the visibility they need it will be for the better for the town of Churubusco."