Citywide Median Revitalization in Progress: Removing Declining Trees, Planting New Trees

12/13/2023

As part of a citywide beautification project for rights-of-way, the City of Tulsa has contracted with Up With Trees for revitalization of medians on arterial streets. Existing hazardous and/or declining trees are being removed from the medians. New trees will be planted during the current tree planting season - winter through April.  

Funding for this median project has come from the Public Service Company of Oklahoma franchise fee. Up With Trees was awarded the job with a bid of $436,000 for the current fiscal year. These tree removals and plantings are part of a three-year plan continuing through 2025, plus future improvements.  

As some of the trees have canopy growth over the roadway, and for the safety of Tulsans and the Up With Trees crew, short lane closures will occur while the individual medians are worked on. Planting these new trees helps to increase roadway safety, increase the biodiversity of Tulsa's tree canopy, and beautify the city. 

The trees now growing in medians on some arterial streets are not ideal species for these locations. Their branches grow outward (covering the roadway) and not upward. Over the years, several cars and trucks have collided with the lower branches, forcing the branches to grow in a mushroom-like pattern. The species being planted in this revitalization project have a more vertical growing pattern and will minimize the number of broken limbs from collisions with taller vehicles.  

After several years of growing in the medians, the current trees are reaching the end of their life cycle and are quickly deteriorating. There are several broken branches in the trees' canopy. These broken branches can be hazardous for oncoming traffic should they fall into the road. A mixture of new trees will refresh the life cycle of the medians, and the species with more vertical growing patterns will decrease the likelihood of branches falling into the roadway.  

Currently the trees in these medians are mostly Bradford Pear and Northern Ash trees. Planting a mix of species will increase the biodiversity of the area. This is important to a sustainable urban forest if a pest or disease ever makes its way into Tulsa and impacts one of the species.  

For information about this project is available online.