Weekly Update 10/24/2014

→ Georgia Urban Forest Council – – I attended one day of the Georgia Urban Forest Council annual conference in Athens Wednesday. Beryl Budd found a scholarship for us, so we will have the registration fee refunded. I learned that the preparation for a storm is easier if you have an ongoing tree trimming program. We were very fortunate that the ice storm of February 2014 mostly missed Oxford (and that we had completed our annual trimming program in November). Ninety counties in the state suffered severe storm damage with power disruptions to about 1,000,000 customers. Sometimes, it’s a combination of factors. During this storm the final blow was the 35 MPH wind on ice laden tree branches. This brought down lots of trees and many branches.

Many cities have set a goal for the percentage of the city covered by a tree canopy. Some cities have set the canopy goal as high as 50%.

Here’s an interesting quote from one of the sessions: “All trees are risky, but not all trees are a hazard. For a tree to be a hazard it needs a target.” That is, if a tree in a vacant field falls down, it’s not much of a problem. But if a tree hits a house, car, or a power line on the way down, then it’s a problem.

We took a walking tour of downtown Athens to hear from Athens’ tree department about their street trees. Street trees have a much tougher time surviving when they are planted in small beds next to sidewalks, streets, and buildings. The street trees in Oxford have a better time of it planted in our wide rights-of-way. 

→ Oxford College Community Classroom – One of the joys of being in Oxford is the chance to hear from the faculty and staff of the College. On Tuesday the Oxford College Community Classroom kicked off for the Fall with Dr. Deric Shannon talking about the sociology of food. We had about 30 people in attendance. The relationship between food and sociology is very complicated and Dr. Shannon knows much more than he was able to share in an hour, but it was very interesting.

One of his comments unrelated to food struck home with me. He said that one of the most important phrases for a scientist is: “I was wrong.” I would suggest this is also true for a public administrator along with the phrase: “I don’t know.”

I’ve attached the schedule for the next four lectures. We will mail it with our utility bills. Dean Joe Moon is up next with a discussion of the history of Oxford on Tuesday, November 11 at 4 PM. You may want to mark your calendar. 

→ Police Department – Here are the Police Department totals as of September.