Downing of trees sparks reconsideration in Lamar

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Mike Davis, presiding commissioner in Barton County, looks over the shoulder of Jon Skinner on Thursday as the latter examines a tree on the county courthouse lawn in Lamar. Skinner, an urban forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation, was called in for consultation after several residents became alarmed when county officials had several trees on the courthouse lawn cut down. Globe/Roger Nomer

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September 2, 2010

By Susan Redden news@joplinglobe.com The Joplin Globe Thu Sep 02, 2010, 10:25 PM CDT

LAMAR, Mo. — At times, as many as a dozen residents trailed behind on Thursday when Barton County officials and an urban forester examined trees on the county courthouse lawn in Lamar.

Jon Skinner, with the Missouri Department of Conservation, was called in for advice after county officials had some trees cut down, raising the hackles of a number of residents.

“They’ve cut down at least four trees, and they’re planning on cutting down more,” said Lamar resident Ryan Cochran. “So we’ve tried to pull together to get them to slow down.”

Two of the trees that were removed were large sweet gum trees. When the trees germinate, they drop seed balls that can be a hazard for people who are walking near the courthouse, said Mike Davis, presiding commissioner.

Cochran said the county could use jail trusties or people in community service programs to clean up the seed pods.

Other residents noted that sprays are available to prevent sweet gums from dropping their seed pods, along with equipment that is designed to clean them up.

“We sprayed five years; it worked once,” said Davis. “And we have one of those machines; it only works fair to middling.”

Skinner, walking from tree to tree on the lawn, identified trees in good condition that he said should remain. Some, he said, should be removed, and others should be trimmed to improve growth and address damage from ice, wind and squirrels.

Those recommendations “will be taken under consideration,” Davis said.

To read more of this story, see Friday’s edition of the Globe.

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Downing of trees sparks reconsideration in Lamar

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