Commissioner Scirocco Speaks for the Trees

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Commissioner of Public Works, Skip Scirocco, spoke at the August 16 City Council meeting about the plight of local trees and plans underway by the Department of Public Works (DPW) to stop the “destructive practice” of creating mulch volcanoes around the city’s trees. According to “volcano-style” mulching opponents, it is a practice used by many commercial landscapers as a decorative addition to the landscape. Opponents say it is extremely detrimental to the tree. While some may think it looks nice, it suffocates the tree’s root system, causes excessive moisture and mold to form, and facilitates the growth of organisms that destroy the tree bark. In May 2015, Sustainable Saratoga sent out an e-mail blast titled, “Mulch Volcanoes Kill Trees – Let’s end their use in Saratoga.” It discussed the practice of volcano-mulching in an effort to educate citizens about the damage it causes the trees. This past Spring, signs began to appear on residential lawns, with images of the correct and incorrect ways to place mulch around trees. Sustainable Saratoga is a non-profit organization, begun in 2008, that “promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources through education, advocacy and action, for the benefit of current and future generations in the Saratoga Springs area,” according to its website. Commissioner Scirocco stated at the City Council meeting that trees belonging to the city are a natural resource and should be protected and nurtured carefully and properly. He noted that the DPW has a professional arborist on staff and also talked about the valuable work of Sustainable Saratoga and the importance of sharing this information with the local residents. “Landscapers do it [volcano-style mulching] because people think it looks nice,” he said. “But the problem is, it kills the tree.” He went on to say that the DPW wants citizens to be aware of this issue and he is posting information about it on the City’s website. He continued by saying that, “If we see it on a public tree, we are going to remove it.” He added that, if people buy a new tree and plant it in this manner, “It is the surest way to kill a tree.” Tom Denny, a retired music professor from Skidmore and a volunteer on Sustainable Saratoga’s Urban Forestry Project, said that the non-profit is very pleased by the Commissioner’s pro-active policy to eradicate the practice of mulch volcanoes. “We view the trees in the City as a valuable asset. Taxpayers’ dollars are used to invest in these trees, and the practice of mulch volcanoes is a decorative fad, not a horticultural practice,” said Denny in a recent phone interview. He added that the organization, “Applauds the Commissioner’s educational efforts and pro-active measures being taken by the DPW.” Jesse Elwert Peters, local ecologist and proprietor of Jessecology, Eco-Friendly Landscape Design, agreed wholeheartedly with the Commissioner’s position on the practice of volcano-mulching. In response to Scirocco’s statement at the City Council meeting, she stated that, “The common practice of many landscapers and neophyte gardeners to smother the bases of trees and herbaceous plants with mulch makes the trees and plants struggle much harder for survival. Their resistance to microbial diseases plummets, and you often see white, powdery mildew forming on the bark near the mulch volcano. Trees and plants need space clear of anything but the dirt they arrived in around their root ball for optimal health.”