This week VSO has been engaged in sketching and painting the Adams Theatre in Cedar City. The facility is slated for demolition after the 2015 season, and the Utah Shakespeare Festival is soliciting art for a farewell exhibit to run later this fall. The submitted works are required to feature the Adams Theatre, but in my opinion the most beautiful thing at the place is this sycamore tree (pictured). In looking at it, VSO and I regretted that it will probably need to be destroyed when the theatre is demolished. I know that my opinion doesn't count for much, but one of my part-time readers might have some influence over the fate of this tree. And I know that he likes trees at least as much as I do: probably more.
I'm on it GAO! I have a lot of influence on what will stay and what will go when we embark on a new project. The London Plane (Sycamore) will be part of the survivors in that area. The site of the Adams Theater is slated to be combined with the eventual demolition and site of its neighbor, the Auditorium. In their place will be a new building for the College of Performing and Visual Arts.
ReplyDeleteWe have struggled with large trees in the upper campus area in the last couple of years (many of them fir and spruce, with a few pines), having lost a few to a wind storm two years ago and several more in the Mother's Day snow storm last year. We just had to take out two more large fir, one was diseased and the other succumbed to our recent heavy snows. Many of the large trees on the upper portion of campus are in the 60 - 80 year old range and unfortunately are shallow rooted due to their proximity to surface irrigation for turf. As a result, they are somewhat vulnerable to conditions that mountain trees will survive (high wind, heavy snow).
As we manage the collection of trees on campus, we are making a significant effort to augment the understory with new plantings. In the last few years we have planted over 200 trees, and have another 128 arriving this spring. We will continue this effort in the coming years as we also work to add trees to parts of campus that have not had them before. My hope is to bring on a new generation of trees that will be well established before the old-timers come down.
In the new Center for the Arts, under construction east of the subject of this blog entry, we are also planting 78 trees of many varieties in calipers ranging from 2-4". There are two very large London Plane trees on that site that were saved and will be incorporated into the new site.
I have two certified arborists on my staff, and we work with the urban forestry program through the state of Utah, division of forestry. The trees are very important to myself and many others on campus. I'm happy to see that VSO is capturing the Adams - its a unique building and theatre experience.
Wow. Probably the most intelligent and articulate thing ever posted on this blog. Thanks to Reader Three for the high-quality comment (and the professional approach to urban forestry).
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