I talked to Howard in DPW.
It sounds like the City is open to suggestions as to how post signage.
He has done some research and has not found a perfect solution yet.

URI?

Tie the signs (put holes in them) around trees with string or ribbon.
Or ... find a tape that won't remove bark ... or drive wooden stakes in
the ground and staple the signs to them.

Steven Deedon
New Haven, CT
stevendeedon@gmail.com

Whatever happened to telephone poles for this? Not that that is a big improvement, but they are as ubiquitous as trees

I would like the nail idea but flyers will blow off a nail. Then you have litter problem.

Any evidence that stapling signs to trees causes actual harm? I'd like to see some science before wasting taxpayers' money paying city workers to tie them on.

BTW: It's illegal to post on telephone poles.

Eddie,

This is the kind of remark one expects from one who's lingering in adolescent reverie, contentiously debating trivia. Obviously sustainability and respect for the natural world isn't part of your value system. Do us both a favor, and return to your comic books, leave these sorts of discussions to grown-ups.

The protective bark and thin outter layer of new wood are the only living part of a tree trunk. This isn't really something you need any evidence for, it's just scientific fact. There's probably a better solution than tying them around poles -- this does seem labor intensive.

What the hell are you talking about? Either stapling flyers to trees harms the trees, or it doesn't. Not being a botanist, I have no idea which is true -- and my guess is, neither do you. (If you do, your argument would be far stronger if you would point to the evidence rather than launching into an ad hominem attack.)

So before we alter policy in a way that could cost taxpayers' dollars, I am suggesting that someone weigh in who has actual knowledge of the effect of staples on trees.

I would be happy to accept that as scientific fact -- once I see evidence that it actually is a scientific fact. I did a quick Google and found nothing authoritative on the subject.

From what I have been able to discover, though, the outer layer of bark around a tree is protective dead tissue. The living inner layer contains the conduits through which sap travels; however, it is not clear to me that staples -- even if they do penetrate this layer -- can cause sufficient damage to endanger the tree in any way.

It would be nice if someone with actual knowledge would weigh in.

Telephone poles are only on one side of the street.
Was not sure if the nail would hurt the tree.
I pierced my tongue in college and it only hurt my mom.
I think the ribbon idea makes the most sense.

Debating the cost of labor here is fatuous. We're talking about MAYBE a minute to thread the string and tie it, then there's the cost of string. Versus the costs of staples and staple guns, the labor costs of loading the staple guns, etc. and actually stapling the trees. If there is a cost difference, it's trivial. And we're not talking talking about a gazillion blades of grass here, we're talking about a limited number of trees, mostly on the islands of grass in front of people's houses.

It becomes obvious that underlying this exchange and values that are in opposition (and probably vastly difference levels of education). Can you imagine this debate going on at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies? Hardly. Some people think nature is our toy, something we dispense with as we please; some others think we humans are part of it, and need to treat it with respect. Some think money is the measure of all, others don't. And so forth.

I agree with the part about "vastly difference [sic] levels of education."

Even though "one small nail" in a tree means bleeding to the plant. As humanbeing, plants feel injuries and have sensation. I believe an announcement area at the corner of each street can be fixed where comments, announcements ... etc can be posted.
Ahmed Ramadan
71 Nash street
New Haven

Someone (Think it was Mr Neraci) had the great idea to put one small nail in each tree and then hang the sign on the nail.

Wonder if this would work for Public Works?

I think a quick email to the School of Forestry or the Urban Resources Initiative would reassure anyone with doubts that this is a valid concern. I don't really have the time to do this and have no doubts about it being a valid concern. And I don't quite understand why anyone would get worked up about their rights to staple into trees. Just err on the side of being nice to the trees, y'know?
I think the one-nail idea is good, but I don't think our job as citizens is to come up with a perfect alternative. The city workers know best which of many valid alternatives would work for them -- I've never had that job so I don't know.

The idea of e-mailing the School of Forestry or the Urban Resources is perfect. I would add that even the City workers abuse the treatment of trees and they post their anouncements of "street sweeping" on trees!

Ahmed

The street-sweeping announcements are the main offence, though, given the similar activity for the New Haven road race, one wonders if there are other such abuses.

Debating this as labor intensive is not silly, since the work would have to be done by city employees!
Can anyone tell me why you would send postcard to the Bush administration? I don't think there is a Bush administration anymore?!

it most certainly is harmful to trees. just inside the tree bark is a thin layer where all water is transported from the roots to the leaves. that is why when you cut a tree down, you see rings within the stump. that size ring is roughly a years' worth of growth and what feeds the entire tree for that year.

i don't understand why we need to use the trees whatsoever. the city has a network of metal signposts installed that they stopped using. why not return to using metal signs that you can attach to the posts with nuts and bolts, instead of the stupidly inefficient "emergency order" paper ones?
with text as simple as "no parking the first and third wednesday of the month" between april and whenever...
sure, the city probably had a hard time with the couple of cars that are left in the way to be towed, but we already have the tow truck parade riding around still anyways, so obviously the paper signs aren't all that much more successful than the old metal ones. i just saw a cop leading a line of twelve or so tow trucks just before sweeping a couple of weeks ago....

Thanks, Juli. I think who people who argue with concerns like yours don't really care about the planet we live on, so they quibble over nonsense like whether it costs more to tie a sign with a string or staple it.

hey folks, just got a call from Howard at DPW!

It turns out that they've started looking into this with Chris Ozyck (the tree guy) and are trying to figure out how best to minimize damage. A suggestion floated was using velcro straps around the tree. (Nails are damaging and extremely time-consuming compared to other methods, so they'd like to avoid that. The nail often has to be replaced--they come out easily--and they are then stuck with the conundrum of where to put the next nail... and the nail after & the nail after).

If you have any suggestions/want to call cities that deal with this and have resolved it, please do so and post here or let me know what you find/think. My e-mail is dls@davidstreever.com.

The big initial investment will be in deployment. So, I'll be sending out a call for volunteers when a system is chosen. Let me know if you're into that too.

Maybe someone has mentioned the metal signs that have the sweeping info on them ? They are around, students are never aware of them.
Several times ( in the Orange street area )
though i have watched people lock bikes to them only to have the sign unbolted from it's mooring , laid on the ground , bike disappears, then the sign disappears. One neighbor swore it was a City truck that was parked there about 6 am and done all of the deeds.
Perhaps for more tix ???

Whatever people at DPW told David Streever, city workers are back stapling streets signs to trees, and during the past three days I've seen more street signs on trees than ever before in the East Rock neighborhood. Trees that take decades to attain their current growth, and these clowns just keep whacking away with their staple guns like they arrived here from some other planet with no idea what a tree is. With humans like this, no wonder the Gulf of Mexico is a now a a big tub of oil and dead sea creatures.

I agree with inNewHaven. I have seen a ton of trees being stapled again on State Street.

Please find an alternative solution.

Signs were stapled to trees in the Dixwell neighborhood this week.

Please fix.

Signs were stapled to Telephone poles only this past week in my neighborhood. DPW came by at 7am on Sunday in their truck driving down the street, stopping at every pole getting out stapling up the sign, getting back in the truck and driving to the next pole. Personally I think walking would have been quicker, but thats not the point.

While I can appreciate the reminder these signs provide, they are redundant and to me at least seem like a waist of time and money since ALL streets in New Haven have lots of permanent metal signs that give the street sweeping schedule. If residents displayed a little common sense, and stopped for a second to read the sign they would know when to expect the street sweeper. But I guess we can't expect everyone to be so responsible.

If they are stapling phone poles instead of trees, there's hope for this situation. But I think you're
exactly right. If there are plenty of permanent
street signs, why waste city funds to staple cardboard signs?

The East Rock area lost a bunch of the metal signs with the sweeping info on them. People lock a bike to the sign , then "somebody" comes along and unbolts the sign, steals the bike , leaves the sign on the ground, then Traffic & Parking whisks the sign away. like clockwork.
It's always a pretty cheap bike but i'm sure the owners - whereever they live , are distraught.

The streets (in East Rock) used to be swept on a regular schedule (twice a month - spring through fall - I don't remember the exact dates now), with permanent signs clearly stating when the street would be swept, but this system was [allegedly] considered "too confusing" to the many transient renters [who apparently can't read?]. The city removed the permanent signs (ever notice how much excessive signage there is on the roads around here - it's ridiculous and the visual blight....). There was a lot of towing - which the city loves to do - makes money for their "friends", with many people complaining that they did not know when the city was going to sweep, which was true, as the city would not stick to the schedule posted on the signs - gotta love New Haven. I think in 10 years [more and more regretfully] of living here, my side of the street was swept a few times - usually I just do it myself - with a broom and a dustpan (Spring Glenn Hardware sells these really big dustpans...). Many New Haven residents are environmentally "challenged" they throw their trash everywhere, and the school system is so bad, I'd be surprised if the graduates were prepared to accept scientific evidence, that trees can be harmed, or that they're even important.

In East Rock, sweeping is 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month on the even side.
It's 2nd and 4th wed. on the odd side..
April 1 - Nov.1
It used to be once a month in East Rock , early in our Desteffi. Administration he/ they changed it.
Whenever there is talk of changing it back, is where you will see A LOT of littering.

The tree stapling continues. In westvile last month all of Willard st was posted.

Yesterday, the city's deputed tree killers attacked the huge trees on Hillhouse with street signs. Maybe they can succeed there in destroying the most beautiful tree canopy in New Haven.

Today, riding down Orange Street I see the tree whackers have attacked tree and tree after tree with their staple guns (fresh street signs).

This issue defines democracy in America. You're free criticize and complain about anything you want. Then government officials go right ahead and do as they wish. This is the 26th complaint in 9 months, and still, the Department of Public Works goes right on trying to kill trees that took decades to attain their current state of growth.

Recently I've frequently notices street signs on trees by the Chemistry Building on Prospect, bigger than those in residential neighborhoods. The disease continues to spread.

March 30, 2011. It's been more than a year since I opened up this issue. This morning, riding the bus down Orange St. in the East Rock section, I see signs apparently stapled on trees as usual. If someone has seen differently let us know.

their still at it.

[Content Removed by Administrator]

I'm "all ears."

Joe, I see that this has been viewed over 2500 times. Maybe it'd be good if everyone who is getting updates made sure they hit the "Vote to Fix" button below. At any rate, giving the attention it's received (albeit no results), I think it's best to at least keep the issue alive on ClickFix

Sunday before the Labor Day road race, I saw street signs torn down from trees on Temple. By Monday morning they were whacked back up. I'm told the assistant director of Public Works, who might have been attentive to complaints about this, has left the job.

Walking along Grove Street, between Whitney and College .... Monday, November 20 mid-day I see parking signs mindlessly whacked onto trees, using lots of staples. Monday evening, many torn down. Tuesday back up. Tuesday night torn down. I notice a large piece of bark attacked to a sign. Obviously the mindless stapling of trees that took decades to grow causes even more damage than previously thought -- when the signs are removed. Someone complained to Public Works about this, but these clown are committed to killing the planet.

Last night again, trees along Grove street whacked with staple guns to put up street signs -- when there are lots of parking meter poles that could be used using tape. Looks like the city policy is, when you have a choice, do your best to destroy something.

Some interesting developments on Grove Street near Silliman College. I noticed that someone recent fastened No Parking signs to parking meters, rather than whack trees with staple guns (or even with huge nails, which I've seen recently). So someone has established a precedent for a better way to handle this.

Secondly, I stopped and talked to some guys who had one lane of the street blocked and were working on something underground, and I told them about this discussion on SeeClickFix. One of them told me he agreed it was a problem and informed me that the New Haven Parking Authority is responsible for the signs. When his outfit has work to do, they let the parking authority know, and the latter puts up the signs. In the past some of us though Public Works was the office to address. this never went anywhere. Maybe now we've got better info. Feel free -- in fact, encourage -- to contact them and register your dismay that people are whacking trees with staple guns, apparently impervious to the fact that it has taken decades for New Haven trees to grow.

What if 2 nails were used to afix a small board to each tree, a board into which people could staple to their heart's content w/o further harming the tree?

As of 2013 City departments have begun to review, acknowledge and respond to SeeClickFix issues. Since your issue is in the category titled "No Service Request" and was submitted prior to 2013, we are going to close and archive it. If this issue still requires City attention, please report as a new SeeClickFix issue. Thank you.