Nonprofit Replaces Trees In Medians On Tulsa Roads

The City of Tulsa has contracted with “Up With Trees” to take over maintenance of medians on arterial streets.

The nonprofit is already removing and replanting trees, mainly in raised bed medians.

The contract covers 35 sites, as small as a few blocks, with the largest being 71st Street from Riverside Drive to Highway 169.

“It’s just creating a more sustainable approach to proactively maintain what is there and, when appropriate, remove and replace and add trees as well,” said Steve Grantham, the CEO of Up With Trees.

Many of the medians were planted 20-30 years ago, said Grantham, with trees that are now dying or declining or weren’t the best choice to start with.

“What we knew 30 years ago, when some of these original plantings took place, things have definitely changed,” said Grantham, “We’re not planting Callery Pears anymore. We gave up on Brantford Pears a long time ago, but some of their cousins were still being planted.”

Up With Trees is removing pears and ash trees along 71st and will be replanting with more appropriate species, said Grantham, with the goal of no more than 20% of any one type to avoid disease and insect problems.