10 THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2006
Damaged trees create hazards Microburst aftermath still being felt on campus
BY DARION PEARSON
dpearson@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
If a tree falls on campus during a microburst and no one is around to hear it, will it still make a sound?
In the case of the severe wind and rainstorm that took place March 12, this normally slippery philosophical question yields an easy, practical answer: Yes. And when between 50 and 75 trees fell that day, Bob Abbott, KU landscape maintenance supervisor, and his crew hurried on campus to clean up the mess.
Abbott, like most of the KU community saw a thrashed version of campus.
The destruction included more than just the trees fallen on the day of the storm. About 50 more had to be cut down in the following weeks and months—including some within the past few weeks.
Among those trees, the microburst forced maintenance crews to take down a 110-feet tall state champion pin oak tree just southwest of Memorial Stadium because it was split nearly six feet along its trunk.
split nearly six feet along its trunk So who decides which damaged trees stay and which must be cut down?
stay and who else
For the most part, nature made the decision about whether or not a tree was completely downed. If trees blocked or cluttered
sidewalks, roads or other areas,the members cleared them for safety and passage.
"The first day we came out, it was simply a matter of getting the hazards out of the street and off the sidewalk so that people could make their way through campus," Abbott said.
When a tree was not completely destroyed, the decision to cut it down or not belonged to Abbott and other supervisors .They surveyed possible looming danger of over-hanging or weak limbs, large splits in trunks and utility hazards.
Even with those high hopes, high-speed winds and the consequent preemptive tree leveling added up to the destruction of more than 120 of the campus' trees.
"If the top of the tree was blown out, then the whole thing had to go," Abbott said about the decision-making process, "but we examine every tree with the hopes of saving it."
On an almost 18,000 tree strong campus, the number reads small, but landscape maintenance team members and local tree conservationists agree the storm itself and its impact on campus trees are notable. Abbott and a co-worker recall their work during the past years and concur that between the tree and roof damage, they had not witnessed such a destructive storm in all their time at the University of Kansas.
"The first day we came out, it was simply a matter of getting the hazards out of the street and off the sidewalk so that people could make their way through campus."
BOB ABBOTT KU landscape maintenance supervisor
Richard Morantz, LawrenceTree Conservancy Chair, is concerned about the natural and man-made destruction and would like to see a more careful trimming program in the city and on campus.
"With the destructive power of Mother Nature, it is important for humans not to destroy, but to protect our trees," he said.
The loss of the champion pin oak and many others are neither easily replaced nor comparably supplanted by young saplings. Abbott said that not nearly as many trees were replaced as he would have liked mainly because of finances and the high maintenance the tree demands in the first year.
"It takes more than one hundred years to grow an oak and it takes us only two hours to clear it." Abbott said. "It's a sad thing."
Beat the heat
Gabe Hornandez/Valley Morning Star Kaleb Lorenzo Rodriguez, 5, front, gets drenched with the water hose by his cousin Vrianna Cantu, 9, left, while cousin Joaquin Rodriguez, 4, right, tries to help out while cooling off Monday in front of their grandmother's house in Harlingen, Texas.
HEALTH
Teen taken off respirator After legal battle, family of 14-year-old drops restraining order against KU Med
BY DANI HURST
dhurst@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
After much deliberation, a 14-year-old boy was taken off mechanical respirators, May 19, at the University of Kansas Hospital after a second declaration of him being brain dead.
Michael J. Todd, Kansas City, Mo., native, was declared brain dead by a physician independent of the University of Kansas Hospital on May 19. Shortly after, the temporary restraining order requested by his mother, Cecelia B. Cole, was lifted and the machines were stopped.
stopped. Todd was brought to the hospital May 9 when he was shot in the neck, and declared brain dead May 10. Cole, however, wanted a second opinion before he was removed from the machinery and requested a temporary restraining order prohibiting anyone from removing the boy from the respirators until another physician examined him.
Dennis McCulloch, director of public and government relations for the University of Kansas Hospital, said that in situations like this, the hospital tries to work as closely as possible with families so they get a sense of closure. The
hospital has the legal right to remove anyone declared brain dead from machinery, McCulloch said, but it is not the hospital's policy.
McCulloch said the hospital was happy to accommodate Cole's request for an independent physician, but said that it took a while to find a qualified person. The doctor had to meet both the needs of the family as well as have certain credentials in accordance with hospital policies.
"A declaration of brain death is a declaration of death;" McCulloch said, "because there is no chance of recovery."
Minister Octavia Southall, CEO/executive director of the community outreach program GateKeepers of Kansas City, Mo., spoke on behalf of the family.
McCulloch was unable to discuss certain elements of Todd's treatment because of medical privacy laws.
Mr. spoke of it: "I'm happy it is where it is." Southall said. "I'm glad the mom got the resolution she needed."
"It was a difficult time for everyone concerned," McCulloch said.
After trying to reach the family, Southall said that they were unwilling to comment.
Todd's death certificate listed May 10, the date of the original declaration of brain death, as his official date of death.
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