Trees in Northridge Park are a concern

At the quarterly Barkley Neighborhood Association meeting on Feb. 17 a representative from Bellingham Parks and Recreation came to address residents’ concerns about trees in Northridge Park. Residents perceive that dangerous trees are an ongoing problem for property bordering the park.

“People who live next to mature trees often have concerns with potential damage in light of the winter wind storms we experience here in Bellingham,” design development manager for the Parks and Recreation Department Leslie Bryson, who addressed residents’ concerns at the neighborhood meeting, explained in an email.

There are about 100 homes adjacent to Northridge Park, according to a count of homes surrounding the park in the Barkley Neighborhood Land Use Plan.

Jim Brennan, who lives in the Woodside community, has a large tree about 50 meters from his house and 15 meters from his back fence. He expressed a concern that, if the tree fell, his house might be damaged.

Residents who live near city trees cannot remove or trim trees on the city maintenance responsibility list, which includes trees within city parks. Residents at the neighborhood meeting expressed that that city is not active at removing trees citizens felt were dangerous until after the trees have caused damage.

“I have not experienced any preventative activity from the city,” Brennan said.

Citizens who want to remove, prune or trim a tree that is not on the city maintenance responsibility list must first obtain a street tree permit.

People living on the perimeter of Northridge Park have been victims to falling trees and branches in the past. Brennan had a tree damage his fence and another Woodside resident, Laura Hinds, had a tree break a window in her house.

When a tree damages private property, the property owner can file a damage claim with the city attorney. Lawyers then determine who pays what.

“The city basically says it’s an act of God,” Brennan complained about the city’s policy for reimbursing people for damaged property.

James Luce, the city arborist, is aware of minor property damage to fences, sheds and decks. Minor damage to a fence is the only incidence caused by a tree in the last year.

"We are aware of things, but we don’t see every inch, so we rely on people to report things," grounds supervisor Steve Nordeen said.

Trees or parts of trees are removed when potential tree failure poses a threat to people or property, said Luce. Sometimes construction will require tree removal.

In 2011 Park Operations spent 96.3 hours working on tree-related tasks throughout the city including tree inspection, removal, bucking and chipping and 84 hours on trail maintenance, according to Nordeen.

Trees that don’t pose an immediate danger to property have the lowest removal priority Bryson explained. Trees that are close to houses and are not healthy are considered a risk.

“Trees may be removed for reasons that center on risk abatement, tree health and forest health,” Luce said in an email.

Removing trees that may fall on trails is not the arborist’s main concern since they don’t hurt anyone.

"It's not as urgent as protecting life or property," Nordeen explained.

Residents at the neighborhood meeting expressed interest in the state of the trees in the park.

“There are several leaners and there are several dead [trees in the park],” Brennan said.

He notices that when trails are developed the roots of trees are sometimes cut, possibly damaging the stability of trees.                                                                                               

The root systems of trees can be damaged by construction, and trail construction can affect trees within the park. The Parks and Recreation Department has specific procedures to follow when creating a new trail.

“Mitigating measures are taken to minimize root damage in the construction zone,” Luce explained in an email.

A stand management project, which is a resource management plan for the forest, took place last summer to remove trees at risk of falling from around the trail leading from Chandler Parkway to Northridge Park. The perimeter of the park was also surveyed to remove dangerous trees.

“The goals of a stand management project like this one include decreasing future problems by promoting a stronger, more diverse forest community,” Luce said in an email.

The city arborist only oversees trees owned by the city, but Luce can advise owners and construction workers about trees in the city street right of ways.

It can cost between single digits to hundreds of dollars to remove a tree depending on the size and condition of the plant, according to Luce.

Luce encourages citizens to call with any concerns and questions regarding trees.

The Park Operations Center takes requests to inspect trees on park land at 360-778-7103.

Street tree permits can be acquired by contacting the City of Bellingham’s Permit Center at 210 Lottie Street in City Hall.

Music students to perform in nation’s capital

A crescendo builds as mallets bounce off of metal and wood bars, gradually raising the volume of vibrations in the music room. Starting with silence to a rolling wave of music, the sounds intensify, and then cut off all at once. The percussion students in Squalicum High School band are practicing for a performance in the nation’s capital.

Squalicum High School’s Music Department is traveling to Washington, D.C. from March 29 to April 4 to perform at the 100^th anniversary of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. They will have three opportunities to perform as part of the National Festival of the States on March 31, April 1 and April 2.

The trip will cost $1,860 for each student. Since some students don’t have the funds to make the full payment they are doing various fundraising events to generate money for the excursion. Hosting events that patrons pay to attend and selling products have been the main source of money raised.

The trip will be a fusion of musical performances and historical discoveries. Besides performing at the centennial celebration, the 108 students from Squalicum High School’s music department will visit famous sites, memorials and museums. They will also participate in master classes and get performance critiques.

“It’s so important to travel with your groups,” said Andrew Marshall, the choir director. “It’s more of an education than any of this in class stuff.”

Some of the students are learning about United States history in school, so they will be able to make connections between what they’re learning in class and the sites they visit in the nation’s capitol, Marshall said.

“It’s kind of cool to go see what I’m learning about,” said Chloe Hovind, a french horn player in the band who is taking AP U.S. History.

Marshall also explained how having a goal to perform really gets students to focus on perfecting their performances.

This will be the first time the concert band, concert choir and orchestra are doing a trip together as a department. They have been preparing for the trip since last spring and finalized their decision to visit Washington D.C. in September.

The music department teachers have set a goal as a department to do a big trip every three years so their students will get at least two chances to perform outside the local area while they are in high school. The teachers agree that travel is key to expanding students’ horizons.

“It’s really important for them to get that exposure in high school,” Reilly said.

The vast majority of students would not be able to go on the trip if it weren’t for fundraising according to Katherine Reilly, the band director.

“I wish we could provide the funds for all of our kids to go, but unfortunately it’s not possible,” Reilly said.

She said her students like doing group fundraising better than individual fundraising because they get to spend time with each other. On Friday, Feb. 24 the band hosted a “Kid’s Night Out” which was an opportunity for parents to bring their children to the high school for a night of fun for $15.

On Feb. 12 the music department performed at Birchwood Presbyterian Church as entertainment at a lasagna dinner and auction. They raised $6,000 at the event.

The students are also selling various products. The orchestra will start selling cookie dough next week. Choir students are going to sell tickets to a Bellingham Theater Guild show in March and will be able to keep all of the profits.

The five-week cherry blossom festival spanning from March 20 to April 27 is a celebration commemorating the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Tokyo, Japan to Washington, D.C. in 1912.

The three branches of the music department will perform “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “Dry Your Tears Africa” together. The band, orchestra and choir all have individual pieces they will perform in Washington D.C. as well.

The tour and performances are arranged by Music Celebrations International, a performance tour organizing company that hosts the National Festival of the States as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. each year.

Music Celebrations International selected one musical group to represent each state at the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Squalicum High School’s music department will be the representative from Washington this year.