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| Market Square through the trees on the south end of the square |
Green space in a city adds immensely to the pleasure of living there. It breaks up the “concrete jungle” feeling and is quite soothing to encounter. I remember how happy I was to see very large trees growing from a ledge on a building in New York City or how nice it was when we left the desert in Arizona and entered the area around Flagstaff and saw some green.
Krutch Park and the southern portion of Market Square contain most of our mature urban trees in the center city. There is a pretty good stand of trees to the west of the 100 block, as well. The city has to maintain the trees that are scattered about, looking to trim those which pose a danger or replace those that are struggling in the spots designated to support them.
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| Recently planted tree on Market Square |
Apparently life is hard for an urban tree. I would guess a spot for roots to develop might be an issue. Depending on where they are planted, they might also be sheltered from some of the rainfall, which can’t be good for a tree. The compacting of the earth around them can also be harmful. So, it’s not unusual for trees to need to be replaced and that’s what has happened on Market Square recently.
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| Recently planted tree with tractor on Market Square, Knoxville 2012 |
I’d mentioned before when one of them disappeared. I hadn’t noticed that it was struggling, but that seems to be the case. So we have three new trees on Market Square as of this past weekend. They are Myrimar Zelkova trees which are apparently similar to, but hardier than the Maples typically planted in the area. Trees were also planted this winter in the wells on the 100 block, so that should make Knoxville’s prettiest block even more so.
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| What an urban tree can look like – with a Mercedes to help out |