{"70995":{"#nid":"70995","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Caring for Tech\u0027s Oldest Residents","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech currently has two full-time staff members providing care for nearly 6,000 of the Institute\u0027s residents. Of course, it helps that none of these residents actually move, excepting a strong breeze.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to the Department of Facilities Landscape Manager Hyacinth Ide, a 2004-2005 report tallied more than 5,000 trees on campus. Ide and Facilities foreman George Roberts say that during the last couple of years, probably close to 1,000 more have been planted.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022In a normal year without a drought, we try and plant 50 trees in-house and 260 trees as new development annually,\u0022 Roberts said. While some of the planting would equal new trees, in some cases - especially with a drought-new saplings are planted in an effort to replace dying older trees. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe goal, he said, is to replace the same amount that was lost. \u0022If you take down a 20-caliper tree [20-inch diameter], you should replace that with 10 2-caliper trees.\u0022 A tree\u0027s diameter, Roberts said, is measured at about five feet high.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe campus has two dedicated employees, that\u0027s one for roughly 3,000 trees, a certified arborist and an equipment operator, whose main functions are watering and inspecting trees. And with the drought, this has become a necessary task. These two, instead of embarking on long-term care for the trees, spend two to two-and-a-half days a week watering.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nIde says the younger trees especially need the attention. \u0022We just don\u0027t have enough manpower to do what a full tree program calls for,\u0022 he said. \u0022It\u0027s critical work.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBecause of heavy foot traffic around trees, which in turn compresses the dirt, Roberts says groundskeepers use a deep feeder system - a long needle to feed the root systems. \u0022We feed all our trees this way.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESome tree losses are literally a result of growing pains, as some construction efforts have resulted in the irreversible damaging of trees or their root systems. \u0022We have hired a full-time landscape project manager in Facilities Design and Construction to help with landscape design and manage all contract landscape installations,\u0022 Ide said. \u0022It\u0027s getting better.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd Ide says his office is talking with the Georgia Forestry Commission to consider Tech for a Tree Campus USA designation, which recognizes campuses with an effective tree-management program. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ERoberts estimates roughly 80 trees are in the 75- to 100-year-old range, although it\u0027s difficult to determine while the tree is still alive. \u0022Old pictures act as a good measurement of what trees were there [years ago],\u0022 he said.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe drought, construction and just plain old age has called for more than a few trees to be removed. A large, 80-year-old tree near the stadium was removed a few months ago. \u0022It had become dangerous because it had decayed from the inside,\u0022 Roberts said. \u0022There just wasn\u0027t enough water.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Clay doesn\u0027t hold water real well,\u0022 Ide said. \u0022The drought has made the trees more susceptible to disease and insects.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022If you see the tops start to die, the tree is suffering,\u0022 Roberts said. \u0022We could probably use four people dedicated to just the trees.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to the money they receive for planting new trees, Ide and Roberts said that alumni have donated trees to campus. Alumnus Charlie Jones, for example, donated 165 trees to the M building\u0027s landscaping in 2006. Other groups, such as the Arbor Day Foundation, will donate up to 100 trees when the Institute is recognized as a Tree Campus USA.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"According to the Department of Facilities Landscape Manager Hyacinth Ide, a 2004-2005 report tallied more than 5,000 trees on campus. Ide and Facilities foreman George Roberts say that during the last couple of years, probably close to 1,000 more have been planted.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Looking after campus trees is a momentous effort."}],"uid":"27191","created_gmt":"2008-09-22 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:01:15","author":"Robert Nesmith","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2008-09-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2008-09-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"70996":{"id":"70996","type":"image","title":"Large willow oak","body":null,"created":"1449177338","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:15:38","changed":"1475894625","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:45"},"70997":{"id":"70997","type":"image","title":"Location, description of trees around campus","body":null,"created":"1449177338","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:15:38","changed":"1475894625","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:45"}},"media_ids":["70996","70997"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.facilities.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech Facilities"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1991","name":"arborist"},{"id":"789","name":"Drought"},{"id":"1990","name":"landscaping"},{"id":"350","name":"trees"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003ERobert Nesmith\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=wnesmith3\u0022\u003EContact Robert Nesmith\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["robert.nesmith@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}