Maumee Tree Commission
Street Trees
Street trees are important in Maumee. We have well over 10,000 in the City. Not only do trees help beautify the City but they are also responsible for helping to clean the air that we breathe. The City of Maumee is proud of its many and varied street trees and its multi-year status as a Tree City USA through The National Arbor Day Foundation and hope that you appreciate the trees also.
The Department of Public Service is responsible for all trees in the public rights-of-way. Typically the right-of-way extends from approximately one foot in back of the sidewalk across the street to one foot in back of the sidewalk on the other side of the street. However, in some areas of Maumee, that measurement is significantly different. If there are no sidewalks it can also be difficult for the homeowner to figure out. If you have any question as to whether a tree is yours or belongs to the City, please call us in the Natural Resources Division at 419-897-7170 and we will be happy to help you.
The City reserves the right and the responsibility to care for all the trees in the right-of-way. We spray and trim the trees as needed. If you believe your street tree needs attention, please call instead of attempting the work yourself.
We annually plant several hundred street trees to replace trees taken down and also to fill in areas where street trees are missing. If you are lucky enough to receive a street tree, please take good care of it. Do not damage the base of the tree with your lawn mower or weed whacker, and please water the tree when you water the lawn.
Whether we are replanting a large evergreen or planting one small tree as part of an Arbor Day celebration at a local school, every tree is important, please help us to take care of them.
Your New Tree Needs Some TLC!!
(This is one of a series of articles provided by the Maumee Tree Commission to help citizens care for trees and to understand why Maumee is a designated Tree City with a tree ordinance designed to adequately protect trees and provide tree care)
Perhaps you’ve just planted a new tree on your property, or maybe the City crews planted a “street tree” near the curb line of your street. So, now you ask, “what do I have to do to keep the tree growing?” Actually if you did a good job of providing a large enough hole, added some amendments like peat moss or compost and watered it well, you’ve done 90% of the job! However, we do have dry spells occasionally in summer, and the long-term forecast is for a hotter and drier summer than usual. That’s where the other 10% of effort comes in. If your tree is newly planted this year, or was planted less than 5 years ago, then watering during dry, hot spells is a must to preserve your tree and the money you spent on it. Beyond 5 years the tree has established sufficient roots to withstand all but a severe drought.
When rainfall is less than 1/2 inch per week, then give that tree at least 3 gallons of water during that week and each week of low rainfall. And please do the same for any city-planted street tree in front of your home. If the street tree is less than 5 years old, give it the same 3 gallons of water per week. The city crews will plant over 300 trees in Maumee this year, as they do every year. They don’t have the time or resources to water 1500 trees each week (that’s 300 trees x 5 years). So we are asking you to help us and yourself by preserving those trees.
