>> Tops showing considerable deadwood
>> Mushrooms on trunks or at base, indicating rot on the inside
>> Sidewalk work, curb work or driveway work near suffering tree; such work might have cut or otherwise damaged the roots
Source: City Forester John Wynn
Residents concerned about dying trees are calling the City of Omaha after the death of a boy from a falling branch.
City forester John Wynn estimated that he and code-enforcement officers are fielding about 45 calls a day — triple the typical number — since the death of 7-year-old Jeremiah Williams on May 22.
Some of those citizens have legitimate concerns about decaying cottonwoods, maples, lindens and willows, Wynn said. The city dedicates a foreman, four full-time and four part-time workers to tree trimming and removal.
The boy's death, while rare, isn't the only death or serious injury from a falling tree or branch over the last few decades, Deputy City Attorney Tom Mumgaard said.
He cited two cases in which people were paralyzed and two other deaths that have occurred in 30 years from falling trees or branches.
“It gives you a real understanding of the randomness of life,” Mumgaard said.
A judge ordered the city to pay $456,015 in a case finalized eight years ago, he said. That case involved a 13-year-old boy who was killed when a 60-foot-tall tree fell on him as he played with battery-operated cars on April 25, 1996.
The City of Omaha says that Jeremiah Williams' death occurred on Omaha Housing Authority property and that Omaha has no responsibility in the case. An attorney hired by OHA to examine that question declined to comment Friday.
Mumgaard said the city is responsible for eliminating dangers to people using streets, sidewalks and parks. Qualified inspectors drive every street annually to inspect trees overhanging from the right of way — typically from the street to the sidewalk — that show significant dead branches, fungus and cavities, Mumgaard said.
If a tree is deemed unsafe, it's marked for removal and categorized for how quickly it must come down.
Wynn said trees are classified by the threat they pose. Emergency situations need to be taken care of within three days, priority one situations from one to 30 days, priority two from 30 days to six months and priority three from six months to a year.
Trees in the middle of parks get less attention than trees that are beside playgrounds or other heavily traveled spots.
Wynn said crews, for instance, have marked about 55 trees for trimming and 33 for removal in Woodhaven Park, near 160th Street and West Center Road. That work began Friday.
Contact the writer:
444-1123, rick.ruggles@owh.com
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