TEMPE — Time may be running out for this generation of one of Mill Avenue's most beloved features, the ficus tree.
The trees are not aging well, their caretaker says, because of their unforgiving urban environment.
City arborist Steve Amelotte thinks he can get perhaps 20 more years out of them with proper care. But he's preparing for their deaths even sooner to be safe.
Amelotte bought nearly 100 ficus trees last year and is nurturing them to replace the 120 that have become essential to downtown's character.
The trees may not have been the best choice for Mill Avenue, Amelotte said as he explained the problems of having ficus trees in an urban area.
But as he walked under the canopy of trees and pointed at the rich, green streetscape, he said he couldn't imagine Tempe's famous Mill Avenue without ficus trees.
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"People love this," Amelotte said. "They say, 'Look at all this shade.' "
Tempe planted the trees in 1985 as part of a decades-long effort to rejuvenate Mill. They've become as much a part of Mill's character as the red-brick sidewalks — or the historic Hayden Flour Mill itself.
The city chose the ficus trees because of their stately feel and because they're popular in Southern California downtowns.
But the ficus isn't a perfect tree. It's notorious for aggressive roots that heave streets and sidewalks, though Amelotte said he thinks Tempe averted that by installing a root barrier with each tree. Arizona's summers can sunburn the trees, especially the way they've been pruned to expose signs on buildings. Frost can nip the treetops.
And birds love the trees in winter. Droppings cover the sidewalks — and sometimes pedestrians — and have been a big source of complaints. Amelotte is trying several things to chase away the birds and hopes for a big reduction this winter.
The trees are too popular to suggest replacing them with anything else, Amelotte said. So late last year, he bought 96 ficus trees in 15-gallon pots. He moved them into bigger containers and will continue to do so as they grow.
He's shaping them so they branch out about 8 feet above the sidewalks and 15 feet above the street.
The trees on Mill now branch out lower than they should, but Amelotte's pruning will create a designer ficus.
"It's developing a tree just for Mill Avenue," Amelotte said.
The trees are at a city park and should be ready in four to five years.
