![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.raleighpublicrecord.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/moore_square_tree_inside.jpg\" "\\"moore_square_tree_inside\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nPlans to renovate Moore Square in the next few years are intended to improve and save the space for generations to come. But according to a report from the Raleigh Tree Conservation Task Force, the renovations will kill off the square\u2019s greatest treasure \u2014 the trees.<\/p>\n
City officials approved a master renovation plan for Moore Square in May. The plan calls for keeping all of the square\u2019s healthy trees. Only two of the square\u2019s 73 trees are in poor condition. Thirty of those healthy trees are more than 20 inches in diameter.<\/p>\n
But in a report last month, the task force questioned the effect the elements of the plan will have on the trees, not to mention the construction work necessary to transform the four-acre square.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are concerned that most of trees that are selected to remain will be lost within 10 years,\u201d said Ted Shear, a member of the Raleigh Tree Conservation Task Force.<\/p>\n
The problem lies underneath the ground. A tree\u2019s root zone extends horizontally from the tree for a distance at least equal to the tree\u2019s height. One tree advisory Web site recommends preserving at least 50 percent of the root system to maintain a healthy tree.<\/p>\n
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Right now, beds of mulch cover 25 percent of Moore Square, protecting tree root systems from the impact of trampling feet and equipment.<\/p>\n
According to the minutes from the task force\u2019s May 3 meeting, \u201cIf the plan requires extensive changes to most\/all sides of a tree\u2019s critical root zone, it is not likely the tree will survive. The nearby actions related to the construction process is often just as damaging to a tree\u2019s root zone as the actual new work on the root zone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chris Counts, the lead designer on the Moore Square plan and winner of the juried competition to renovate the square, said he shares the task force\u2019s concerns about damaging tree roots. But, Counts said, how to protect existing trees will be worked out as the design process moves forward.<\/p>\n
City law requires no disturbance to the \u201ccritical root zone\u201d of trees marked for preservation. The size of the critical root zone depends on the tree size. Moore Square is state-owned land, so any changes do not have to comply with city ordinances. To some, that should not matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe city should do at least what it makes every private developer do,\u201d said Shear, also an associate professor in NC State\u2019s Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources.<\/p>\n
The Moore Square Master Plan mentions tree roots, but many of the proposed structures will be built \u201cwell into the root zones,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n
The plan proposes a pier system of elevated walkways for part of the square to prevent root trampling, but in other areas granular terraces will be built. The report said such a soft surface will not prevent soil compaction that can harm tree roots.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is unfeasible to retain the trees and add all the programming elements,\u201d the report said. \u201cThe City of Raleigh must choose between these programming elements and the existing trees.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/a>by Leo Suarez<\/p><\/div>\n
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Shear said as the plan stands, all of the critical root zones will be impacted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will need to be some undisturbed area to save a few of the existing trees; there is no such area in the Master Plan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the trees in Moore Square will not survive these impacts for more than a few years,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n
Shear said there are techniques to prevent disturbance, including laying down mats to drive on, elevating walkways, tunneling under tree roots for utilities, and, in some circumstances, even excavation of soil around roots by air. The task force has requested a mitigation plan, including an evaluation of heavy equipment used near the trees.<\/p>\n
Bartlett Tree Company, the designated arborist for the Master Plan, was not involved in the planning. The company did not provide an analysis of the plan\u2019s effect on trees, \u201ca critical step in Master Plan development that was skipped,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Bartlett\u2019s] role will be to do what it can to minimize damage to the trees during construction,\u201d the report said. \u201cThis is not a process that engenders confidence that trees will be adequately protected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bartlett Tree Experts referred questions to Master Plan designer Counts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very important to protect the trees in good health,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Counts said that while valid, the concerns may be premature.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important thing to remember is where we are in the process,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat we are starting to get into is the next conversation about the specific details. They\u2019re all good questions; we\u2019re just not there yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
City Project Manager Cassie Schumacher-Georgopoulos said there will be time to iron out the plan details and find ways to ensure construction does not impact the trees.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re aware of the concerns and we share those concerns with the public,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The next phases of the renovation include a revised scope sometime in July or August. Schematic designs will follow, and all of it will be available for public review and public comment both in hearings and during regular city council meetings.<\/p>\n
Some people have also questioned the inconsistency of the plan. For example, language in the plan highlights an open view through the park, but plans included a perimeter wall and an elevated lawn mound.<\/p>\n
Counts said he looks forward to addressing the inconsistencies. He said he expects the original design to evolve as the details of the plan are specified.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it will change for the better … and respond more specifically to a wide range of concerns,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Plans are moving forward to renovate Moore Square in downtown Raleigh. But the city’s Tree Conservation task force says those plans will hurt the square’s best feature: the trees. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24025,"featured_media":7416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[167,256],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7414"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24025"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7414\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}