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The Trees at Barton Springs: The Public Speaks Up
Thinman
Inside, Walter Passmore, Austin’s Urban Forestry (UF) Program Manager, had the job of explaining why to the 100 or so irate citizens and the Joint Subcommittee of the Parks and Recreation and Environmental Board. “I hate it that we’re dwelling on the removals only,” he said, “but that’s what we’ve been asked to do.” Passmore started by correcting some misconceptions: only about $56,000 of the $250,000 has been spent; the city will perform the removal work and the remaining money will buy replacement trees; the tables in the report misidentified a few trees. He then showed slides of each tree and read the findings, a presentation that an audience member later called “tree mug shots.” Most of the trees had thin crowns or trunk damage; one was already dead.
Before the public spoke, Sara Hensley, the Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, addressed the crowd. “One thing I want to stress to all of you is that we are not going to go out there and starting arbitrarily removing trees,” she said. “We know what a valuable asset trees are to this community. We want to continue the dialog. We are not going to cut down any tree until we have fully vetted this out.”. Linda Guerrero, the Chair of the Joint Subcommittee explained this meeting was the first step in a process. She pointed out that the Subcommittee can’t order the trees cut down. Approval for cutting down any tree 19 inches or more in diameter must come from the City Arborist. The City Council will have a say. Immediate turned out to mean 60-90 days.
The approximately 50 people who spoke up included long-time swimmers and well-known Barton Springs defenders such as Bill Bunch of Save our Springs. John Dromgoole of The Natural Gardener wondered why more attention had not been paid to the soil. One person noted that many of the trees where the UF recommended removal were in a location especially favorable for building expansion. Another questioned the numerical scale for risk, noting that a large, healthy tree in a high traffic area would have a risk rating of 8 out of 12. Several speakers expressed concern about the Master Plan and the changes it might bring. Many speakers noted the lack of on-going maintenance and construction as a problem, an issue acknowledged by board members. The audience sentiment overwhelming favored a preservation-first approach. Several speakers referred to Barton Springs as the “the soul of Austin” and “an Austin icon.” The strong feeling expressed for those 30 trees on Monday suggested another Texas icon: the Alamo - a last stand against unwelcome change.
