Tree Walk Wednesday: 2200 Block of Ward Street

My first visit to the History Room at the Berkeley Public Library was to read the Interim Tree Planting Notebook, 2000. In the notebook, I found a 1999 street tree campaign flyer from the 2200 block of Ward Street. The flyer listed five tree species (with addresses to view mature examples) recommended by the Parks Department for that block: Chinese pistache (Ashby east of College), Trident maple (1804 Grant), Chinese flame (1180 Oxford), Mayten (Shattuck between the French hotel and Bank of America), and Pagoda (2143 Woolsey at Deakin). I toured the 2200 block, but not the locations listed on the flyer. Looking west on Ward Street First, most of the newer trees on the block are Chinese pistache. The most mature trees are a linden (Tilia), a poplar (Populus), and a Zelkova, followed by a red oak (Quercus rubra), a London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), and two (silver?) maples (Acer), then a purple leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera), an apple (Malus), and Chinese pistaches (Pistacia chinensis). Also, there are several palms (?) on the south side of the block (see below). It is interesting that all the new trees are Chinese pistache. I assume the neighbors decided on a uniform streetscape design. Note: palms (?), far left There are overhead wires on the north side of the block. Most cities adhere to the "right tree in the right place" policy; large stature trees are rarely planted below overhead wires. In the case of the 2200 block of Ward, most of the older trees are large stature and planted on the north side of the block. There are a few overhead wires on the south side of the block. The pistache comprises the majority of new trees on this side of the street. The pistache can reach a height of 40 feet. The species is listed as a large stature tree by the City of Oakland. I could not find similar for the City of Berkeley, except a two-page brochure describing the city's ordinances and urban forestry program. Finally, the most interesting observation I made of the Ward block was the ribbons in the pistaches east of 2231 Ward Street (see above). I have noticed other ribboned trees in the neighborhood. Several web sites note that tying a ribbon to a tree is part of Tibetan and Scottish wish making traditions. Maybe the wish is for the wildlife affected by the recent oil spill in the bay. If you take a walk along the 2200 block of Ward between Ellsworth and Fulton, here's a list of what you can expect to see: 2201 Chinese pistache opp. 2201 Chinese pistache 2205 Chinese pistache opp. 2205 Chinese pistache 2208 Chinese pistache, other (my notes don't have a species name) 2209 two silver maples, Chinese pistache 2211 poplar 2212 Chinese pistache 2215 Chinese pistache 2216 Chinese pistache 2219 red oak 2219/21 London plane tree 2220 Chinese pistache (new - stakes are still present) 2223 Chinese pistache 2224 Chinese pistache, linden 2225 Chinese pistache 2227 Chinese pistache (new), an edible estate in the front yard 2228 Zelkova, pistache (bark damage) 2229 two Chinese pistache (new) 2230 two Chinese pistache (one of the two is new) 2231 no tree (a small apartment building) 2232 Chinese pistache 2237 Chinese pistache 2241 two Chinese pistache 2234 Chinese pistache, apple 2238 two Chinese pistache, purple leaf plum 2239 Chinese pistache 2245 no tree (a single family house) 2249 Chinese pistache 2253 no tree (3' x 3.5' tree well) at Ellsworth Chinese pistache (new)