Streetsboro storms keep finding the same trees

New neighborhoods, builder trees

Much of Streetsboro's housing went up in the last few decades, in subdivisions off State Route 14, State Route 43 and the roads between them. The trees in those neighborhoods were mostly planted by builders: Bradford and Callery pears, red and silver maples, and whatever else was available in quantity at the time.

Some of those trees were planted well. Many were planted too deep, left with wire baskets or straps on, or crowded close to the house. Fifteen or twenty years later, those mistakes show up as girdling roots, split pears and trees that never quite thrived. A walk of a Streetsboro property often turns up problems that are much easier to fix now than in ten years.

Associations and common areas

A lot of Streetsboro neighborhoods have homeowner associations, and the question of who's responsible for which tree comes up often. In many developments, trees in common areas and along entrance drives are the association's to maintain, while trees on individual lots belong to the owner. The city has discussed this with associations over the years, so it's worth checking your HOA's documents.

We work with both homeowners and associations. For an HOA, we can walk the common areas, prioritize hazards and give the board a written scope that can be phased over a season or two to fit the budget.

Open ground and older streets

Streetsboro has a lot of open ground: fields, wide lots and commercial corridors with few mature trees to break the wind. Trees on those exposed lots take more storm damage, and pears in particular tend to split in high wind and ice.

The older residential streets have a different set of trees, including silver maples planted decades ago that are now large and starting to decline. Those trees need assessments, weight-reduction pruning and sometimes removal. Between the two, a Streetsboro estimate can cover a young pear and an old maple on the same visit.

Questions we hear locally