Top technicians take troubling tree

PHOTO PROVIDED

Barberton Tree’s “A Team,” an elite crane crew, removes a potentially dangerous tree at Sixth Street NW.

BGNN staff report
BARBERTON  For several years, Sixth Street NW resident Tiffany Mead had a large, unsettling tree looming over her house.

Things changed April 15 when a limb on a very similar tree on Second Street NW fell and crashed through a roof, crushing 21-year-old Noah Hall to death as he napped in his bedroom underneath.

Mead began to look at her own tree with a fresh perspective. The large tree on the neighboring property just so happened to be a Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), the same species that killed Hall. Mead also noticed there were people living in the two multi-family units on Holmes Avenue that the tree was between and she had seen children’s toys and bicycles outside near the tree.

Concerned for these occupants’ safety as well as her own after the recent severe storm that struck the area earlier this month, Mead quickly attempted to contact the owners of the nearby properties to determine the owner of the tree so she could start the process of having it assessed and potentially removed. After discovering that the occupants of the nearby units were under a rental contract with a property management company, Mead relentlessly attempted to contact a company representative.

Throughout her attempts, Mead began to panic because she believed time was of the essence. She decided that while she was waiting to hear back from a representative, it would be effective to consult a larger audience via Facebook. At one point she had a private climber come out and take a look at the tree. Due to its sheer size and compromised integrity, the contractor had no choice but to turn down the job.

Meanwhile, as her Facebook post began to gain momentum, it caught the attention of Lisa Devenport, president of Barberton Tree Service Inc. Devenport, who has been with Barberton Tree for over 30 years, is no stranger to hazardous trees. In less than a one-year timespan, Lisa and Barberton Tree have been directly involved with assisting Akron and Barberton’s first responder units with the recovery of two victims killed by compromised trees, including Hall. Thinking not only as the president of a tree service, but also as a longtime citizen of Barberton, as well as a mother, Devenport said she would stop at nothing to prevent a repeat incident.
Devenport reached out to Mead and swiftly went out to assess the tree, accompanied by Joshua Huffman, one of Barberton Tree’s ISA-certified arborists. Devenport said that once there, she noticed something off. The large tree of heaven invasive species which she said is notoriously weak and brittle, was covered in vines and contained multiple dead sections within the canopy. There were also clear signs of insect infestation. Vine/ivy coverage can be very worrisome, Devenport said, due to its ability to hide major cavities, cracks and splits in the wood.

“These are clear warning signs that the tree may contain sections of interior wood decay,” Devenport said, “which causes even stronger, more reliable trees to fail under their own weight.”
With the combined communication and planning effort of Mead, Barberton Tree and the property management company, an agreement was finally reached to remove the tree which Barberton Tree Service scheduled as a priority/emergency job.
June 16, Barberton Tree’s elite crane crew was dispatched to remove the tree.

“This is our A Team,” Devenport told BGNN. “I’m convinced there’s nothing they can’t handle.”

As work progressed, it emerged just how rotten the base of the tree was. “It was a wise decision on everyone’s end to make this project a priority and execute it,” Devenport said. “Lives very well may have been saved by doing so.”

“There were kids playing there,” Mead added. “What if one of those branches had come down on top of one?”

“While trees provide shade, landscaping and many other benefits, it is always recommended to have them frequently assessed by professionals,” Devenport said. “There are no guarantees when it comes to living organisms and, unfortunately, there are times where it takes a tragedy to gain public attention. Luckily that wasn’t the case this time. If there is any lesson to this, it is to be persistent when it comes to your concern over a tree, even if it is on a neighboring property. Never give up when safety may be at stake. There are true professionals out there who are happy to assess and ready to act.”