Sisters creating inventory of city-owned trees

The city of Sisters is building an inventory of hundreds of trees on city land and how they are doing, to track progress over time.

Sisters is taking a look at the trees to make sure that they are healthy, so they can be preserved or removed if they are deemed dangerous.

Dan Galecki, the city forester and owner of Spindrift Foresting Consulting, said Wednesday he has taken inventory of more than over 2,000 trees in the city of Sisters that are in city right-of-way areas.

Galecki uses a few small devices to help him survey the trees. He’s been in the business for 30 years now and said it’s important to track the trees’ health.

“So we have a record in time from last summer and last fall of what the tree looks like, in its present condition, and health,” Galecki said. “And now we can go back to those photos and see if it’s improving or declining.”

Galecki said the inventory system allows the city to make more knowledgeable decisions about how to deal with a tree that might be having or causing issues.

“At any given time, we’re monitoring about five or six. Sometimes, there are different health issues or danger issues, and once in a while we try to cut one down and, of course, we try to replant,” Galecki said. “But there is always someone monitoring the health of the trees.”

If a tree is deemed to be unsafe and needs to be taken down, Galecki and the city work to make sure the impact is minimal.

“Well, especially in an urban environment, trees are valuable. And picture the typical city tree in Sisters –you know, the large Ponderosa pines — and try to imagine replacing that if it is damaged or something happens to it,” Galecki said. “So we’re trying to take care of the trees we have, and also have a progressive tree painting program to keep trees growing and keep it dynamic all the time.”

Galecki is also working with the parks district this summer to inventory the trees in the city parks as well.