Agenda - Council - 08/12/2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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-310- Preliminary Plat: Ramsey Town Center Addition August 8, 2003 Page 5 of 9 The plan shows a total of three (3) coniferous overstory species that will be installed throughout the site. All three (White Pine, White Cedar, and Black Hills Spruce) are considered preferred as outlined in the Ramsey Tree Book. The species palette only indicates the pine and spruce will be used. This discrepancy will need to be addressed prior to approval of the plan. On this large of a site, there should be a larger pool of coniferous species included in the species palette. While they are not necessarily ideal street or boulevard trees, a larger number of conifers could be included throughout the park areas and possibly in the larger center medians. However, the White Pine is known to be rather sensitive to deicing salt spray and thus, a more suitable species should be utilized in the medians in place of this species. The Ramsey Tree Book should be used as a reference to find both acceptable and preferred species to increase the diversity in plantings. Species diversity is also a concern with the deciduous species as well. We understand the desire to have symmetry along the roadways; however, the current plan indicates the composition of the roughly 2,400 trees only includes about seventeen species (including cultivars/varieties). This equates to roughly 200 trees of each species. A larger mix of species needs to be incorporated into the plan to increase diversity and also buffer against insect and/or pathogen outbreaks that tend to thrive in large monoculture plantings. There are eighteen (18) species of deciduous shrubs included in the revised plan. Of these, seven (7) are considered preferred while the remaining species are considered acceptable. Additionally, three (3) coniferous shrub species are included on the plan. Ali three (3) are considsred to be acceptable. Again, due to the size of this project, a larger number of coniferous shrub species should be utilized to provide diversity and buffer against any pest/pathogen outbreaks. The locations and numbers of each shrub species are not indicated on the revised plan. This information will need to be specified on a revised landscaping plan prior to approval. There are still a couple of concerns with regard to the boulevard trees. First of all, the size (width) of the parkway is a limiting factor in determining which species will be planted. In fact, in would be very beneficial to include the size(s) of the parkways on the plan, which will allow City Staff to better evaluate the suitabilityof each species. In the long-term, this will help to minimize, at least to a certain extent, sidewalk and curb & gutter disruptions due to aggressive root systems. Secondly, tolerance to deicing salts needs to be considered as well. While no species is 100% tolerant of the deicing salts, those that have at least a moderate tolerance will have a higher survivability rate. A majority of the species included in'the species palette are considered to be at least moderately tolerant of these salts. One exception would be the White Pine, which was discussed above. I' I I I I' I I I I I I I I i I I