SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Ten trees were removed throughout Potawatomi Park. Officials say 33 new trees will be planted to help expand the city’s overall canopy. But Potawatomi Park is actually designated as ecologically sensitive.
That sensitive designation dates back to a 2021 natural resources management plan created by South Bend Venues, Parks and Arts.
“We identified 18 different properties, park properties, as being ecologically sensitive and in need of additional considerations for their maintenance and care, and Potawatomi Park was one of them," says Steve Sass, an ecologist and former chair of the South Bend Venues, Parks and Arts Ecological Advocacy Committee, "and the reason that we identified Pottawatomie Park is being ecologically sensitive primarily was because of the old growth trees that that exist here.”
Sass has long been focused on preserving South Bend’s natural ecosystem. He says replacing older trees isn't as simple as a one-to-one swap.
“When we talk about properties like this, where they say, well, yeah, we we have to lose some trees because we need more parking, which is a questionable motive for removing trees. But the idea of we're going to be replacing these trees with two to one or three to one is fine," Sass says, "But these trees, these white oak trees, take 20 years before they'll produce fruit, and so replacing them two to one is not the equivalent today of of the loss that we're incurring by removing these trees”.
ABC57 took those concerns to city leaders to ask why these native trees—which visitors grew up playing under for decades—had to come down in the first place.
“So, there were 10 trees that were removed. Some were old growth, but some were new, newer, younger, I should say. Some were diseased, and they were from not all in one condensed space," says Erin Thornton, executive director of South Bend Venues, Parks and Arts, "They were kind of spread out across where the construction happened."
Thornton showed ABC57 the city’s detailed replanting design plan to rebuild that canopy.
“So this is a a site map that is showcasing the layout of the construction, and it also includes placement of all the trees and the shrubs going all along Wall Street here, and you can see interspersed throughout the parking lot itself, it also lists down in this section all of the different species types, things such as sugar maples, elms, white oaks, and their quantities." Thornton says, "So we've got, as I said, 33 trees that are being planted. That's in addition to all the shrubs and all of the smaller planting elements as well.:
Thornton tells ABC57 the paved area over by Kids Kingdom is being redesigned to add more parking spaces. That work is expected to be nearly finished before Thanksgiving.