Does Logan speak for the trees?
Logan sees an influx of college students, new and old, and residents alike every year who fall in love with the small mountain town. Some choose to stay for four years — others for the rest of their lives. This past year, those who love the town are rallying to save something they feel makes Logan home: the Canyon Road trees.
Located on Canyon Road in the Island neighborhood, the century-old ash trees are now adorned with green ribbons and signage that states “Our roots run deep” or “Save the Canyon Road trees.”
These decorations were done by the Canyon Road Coalition, a group made of city residents fighting against the city’s plans to chop the trees down for a waterline project.
According to a previous article by The Utah Statesman, “The proposed project comes as a result of a state requirement to store additional water along with the growing population in Logan. The city is working with J-U-B Engineers to work on the plans.”
As of Feb. 28, despite many resident protests and tense city council meetings, Logan City has opted to move forward with the plans, stating the road improvements will be made in 2026.
“As most citizens are aware, water rates have already increased as we work to upgrade aging water infrastructure,” Mayor Holly Daines said in a statement at the Feb. 18 Logan City Council meeting.
The efforts made thus far by the coalition may be for naught, according to Utah State University wildland resources professor Jim Lutz. This is due to the invasive insect, the emerald ash borer, which was first discovered in the U.S. in 2002, according to the National Parks Service.
The borer first arrived on the east coast and has been slowly making its way across the U.S. It has been reported in Colorado, so they’re predicted to hit Utah within the decade.
“For large ash trees, the mortality rate is almost 90%, so as soon as the emerald ash borer gets to Logan, every single ash tree in the city is going to die,” Lutz said. “If we want to think about the city and the trees — valuable trees for the city — we need to think about ones that can survive a long time.”
USU Professor Emeritus and Canyon Road resident of over 50 years Leila Shultz is still seeking to save the trees, despite the threat of the emerald ash borer.
“If it comes into Utah — you can’t do it for a whole forest, but for street trees — there’s an inoculum that you pour around the base of the tree and out to where the roots spread, and it only costs about $20 a tree,” Schultz said. “All of us on that street are aware of it, and we would be ready to treat the trees at our own expense.”
Schultz explained she is worried the new pipeline could create a potential mudslide, similar to one Logan experienced in 2016. Ninety tons of water took out two years’ worth of her gardening work, including her five trees.
“It was no small task,” Schultz said.
Daines explained further why she feels the road improvements are necessary.
“To put it in context, an additional $4.8 million would require at least a 2.5% water rate increase for every household in the city over the 20-year life of the bond,” Daines said. “All to save 17 trees that are not in the best of health and are likely nearing the end of their life.”
The ash trees are all roughly a century old. According to Schultz, urban ash trees are expected to live about twice as long.
“They’re certainly not at the end of their life — Dr. Miles Becker, who’s also a faculty on campus, has said you could actually cut into the root systems of those old trees put in the pipeline,” Schultz said. “It might weaken the tree for a bit, but you’re not going to kill it because they have such a massive root system.”
According to Schultz, there are only two she would consider “unhealthy,” and their declining health is only due to poor pruning practices by the city.
Becker and Schultz have reported putting in a new sidewalk where the trees stand will compact the soil so much that new trees will have a hard time growing. This is one factor the coalition feels must be considered while the city works to make what it believes is the best decision for the community.
“We sincerely appreciate the public engagement and involvement. We’ve used the process described to ensure we make the best possible decision for the overall community,” Daines wrote.
Schultz spoke on her personal connection to the trees after reflecting on what she described as a “heartwarming” community effort.
“I’ve lived with them, and I’ve watched them grow, and I’ve taken care of them,” Schultz said.
As of publication, Logan City has made no change to the Canyon Road improvement plans since the city council meeting on Feb. 18.