Don Dunning, Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
(SB) - Government has an important role in addressing problems that individuals cannot effectively solve on their own.
Over the past twenty years, I planted four maple trees and one oak tree on my property. The oak died after only four years. Two younger maples developed chlorosis and, following the advice of a certified arborist, I treated them with iron for several years. Despite those efforts, both trees steadily declined and eventually had to be removed.
As I began looking around Sergeant Bluff, I noticed many maple trees with yellowing leaves and numerous stumps that appear to have once been maples. This led me to ask whether my experience was an isolated incident or part of a larger problem.
I contacted the county extension office, USDA personnel, a regional forester, and a certified testing laboratory seeking answers. While everyone was willing to listen, no one could identify the cause or suggest a community-wide investigation.
If many trees are declining for the same reason, this is no longer an individual homeowner’s problem. It is a community issue. Healthy trees provide shade, improve air quality, reduce storm water runoff, increase property values, and contribute to the beauty of Sergeant Bluff. Losing them affects everyone. An individual homeowner can certainly plant trees, fertilize them, water them, and hire an arborist. But determining whether there is a community-wide problem – such as a soil deficiency, an emerging disease, an insect infestation, groundwater changes, road salt contamination, or changing climate conditions – is something that cannot be effectively accomplished by individuals acting alone.
I hope our local officials will consider surveying tree health throughout the community and, if warranted, seek assistance from state or university forestry experts to determine whether a common cause exists and a remedy. Even if no widespread problem is found, our community will benefit from knowing the facts.
Sometimes the most important public service is simply asking the right question before a problem becomes much larger.
