“It’s all about the soil,” Sue Lucas, former president of the Main Street Association, learned in her master gardener class in the early 2000s.
Growing up on the west side of Indianapolis, Sue Lucas dreamed of living in a forest someday. When she met her future husband, Jeffrey, at Herron School for the Arts, she felt drawn to his hometown of Crawfordsville as well. The tree stands and fields along their drive back to Montgomery County spoke to her. When they moved, she found herself drawn into early initiatives to start the first community garden.
The organic initiatives for sustainable agriculture and living came from across the city. Some citizens proposed that the initial gardens be downtown near where Pike Place now exists. But the city soil hadn’t been cultivated and fertilized for health. It contained the runoff from old buildings and the ashes of old fires. Vibrant urban greenery depends on nurturing the ground itself, not just what grows above it. Lucas found herself educating new gardeners on how to care for soil in their allotments and how to make the most of small plots. Her master gardening skills helped her educate others.
On the heels of laudable work for community gardening allotments came the idea of rain barrels to capture and reuse water. Having been invited to her first Main Street Association planning meeting, Lucas found herself educating -- and dampening -- hopeful ideas. Who would ensure the water draining off the roofs of old buildings was good for plant life? Who would ensure young children wouldn’t try to drink from spigots?
She loved that others shared her same vision for quality of place, for connection to story and history, but building a better community takes knowledge, continuing education, commitment and long-term vision.
Perhaps the best example of the need for urban forestry education comes from the Bradford pear tree. The Bradford pear is easy to identify in spring, when its tiny white blossoms waft across lawns and its musty, almost rotting smell evokes reactions from passers-by. Its ubiquity in cities goes back to the 1970s and 80s when the non-native species promised quick growth and cross-seasonal beauty. Not only does it blossom in spring, but it holds its leaves into early winter.
Like many American towns, Crawfordsville’s downtown embraced the Bradford pear tree. Research showed—and still supports—the value of trees to thriving downtowns. It that causes people to linger and spend up to 17% more in nearby stores.
Eager to create an inviting space, donors and discounts funded a large number of saplings. But more is not always better, a lesson that cities learned in the following decades. Older planting practices led to unhealthy trees, among other problems.
As the Bradford pears matured, the late-dropping foliage attracted massive flocks of migrating birds in November and December, creating unsightly and slippery conditions on sidewalks. Planted improperly, the trees had shallow roots, and critically, the overplanting of this non-native species meant its seedlings migrated throughout the wild areas of our county, where it began crowding out native species and producing thorny, wild versions of the tree.
Decades later, communities across the U.S. realized the error and the outdated philosophy that urban greenery was best achieved by planting as many trees as possible, as close together as possible, with little consideration for species diversity, soil health or long-term maintenance. When there is a lack of biodiversity and use of non-native specimens, it increases disease and invasive species risk, Lucas and other experts have learned.
Recognizing the need for a strategic approach, Lucas partnered with Belinda Kiger, a seasoned arborist and former city forester for Lafayette. Together, they leveraged Crawfordsville’s 2005 tree inventory—a comprehensive assessment of the city’s public trees, their health, and species composition commissioned by Cheryl Kiem. The inventory revealed the extent of the Bradford pear problem and highlighted areas where trees were unhealthy.
Lucas credits Mayor Todd Barton for focusing on quality of life in Crawfordsville, pursuing the Stellar Indiana designation that developed Fusion 54 and Pike Place. The Main Street Association, with Lucas as president and certified arborist Belinda Kiger helping, put together a “dream team” of city department heads - the parks department, street department, CEL&P, Brandy Allen, Dave Paulie from Wabash, Jen Lowe, Mike Reidy, and others met monthly to learn best practices for the city’s urban forest management.
The dream team recognized that true urban vitality required a shift in thinking. Instead of dense, uniform plantings, they advocated for intentional spacing, species diversity, and a focus on native and resilient trees. Proper spacing not only allows trees to thrive but also reduces competition for resources and minimizes the risk of disease spreading through a monoculture.
Biodiversity emerged as a central goal. The lessons of Dutch elm disease and the devastation wrought by the emerald ash borer underscored the dangers of relying on a handful of species. Diverse plantings create a more resilient urban forest, able to withstand pests, changing climates and the unpredictable challenges of city life.
In 2019, with renewed city leadership and support, a new tree inventory was commissioned. This time, using advanced software and the expertise of certified arborists, the city mapped its urban forest in detail. The resulting data informed a new management plan that assessed at-risk trees based on height, diameter, branch structure, and rot. Over 125 trees in parks and on city land needed to come down immediately to avoid damage to property; others needed to be pruned or were put on a watch list. (You can check out the inventory here: https://crawfordsvillein.treekeepersoftware.com/index.cfm?deviceWidth=1280)
The team completed its training the last week of February 2020. By March 13, all non-essential services were on hold and many people were staying home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The urban forestry work would resume as people returned to work.
Lucas’s mantra—“the soil matters”—became a guiding principle. Healthy soil supports healthy trees, and urban environments often present unique challenges: compacted ground, construction debris, and contamination. Lucas’s experience in community gardening reinforced the need for ongoing soil amendment, organic mulching, and careful site preparation. These practices ensure that newly planted trees have the best chance to establish strong root systems and mature into long-lived urban assets.
Lucas and Kiger’s plan rejected quick fixes in favor of a slow, intentional approach. They advocated for the “right tree, right place” philosophy—selecting species based on site conditions, available space and long-term maintenance needs. This meant better tree spacing with species like the honey locust that provide that “dappled shade.”
As Lucas reminds us, healthy tree growth takes patience: “First year sleep, second year creep, third year leap.”
SIDEBAR:
April 25 is Arbor Day. Stephanie Morrissette and the local DNR invite you to join them from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Saturday, April 26, for the DNR Arbor Day Community Forestry Event. Experts will educate on the benefits of trees, what community forestry is, and how municipalities can receive resources to improve their community forest. Crawfordsville Main Street will participate and speak to past, current, and future community forestry efforts in their partnership with Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District. Crawfordsville’s City Planner will also discuss changes in zoning and/or planning ordinances on city tree plantings and publicly owned properties. The program will conclude with a question-and-answer session to determine what Crawfordsville’s residents would like to see with their trees, and take action to support the community forest.
Join us for this Arbor Day event and receive a FREE tulip tree (Indiana’s state tree) seedling, while supplies last! Tree information resources will be available. No registration required