35 Trees Planted at New Walker-Grant Middle School Last Summer Did Not Survive
Many of the trees were not planted to the city's specifications either last summer or this spring when they were replanted.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
Email Adele
Landscape contractors working for English Construction last month replanted 35 trees at the new Walker-Grant Middle School that died since being originally planted last summer.
The trees were not planted or mulched according to Fredericksburg City guidelines either in July of 2025, when they were first planted just prior to the opening of the new middle school, or at the end of March, when they were replaced.
The city’s arborist, Bicknell Robbins, inspected the new plantings on March 26, after Henry Blanton, English Construction’s site superintendent for the new middle school project, emailed the city’s planning department to let them know that the landscapers had visited the site and replaced “35 or so” trees.
“I also understand there is some concern going around the neighborhood about the method in which the trees were planted,” Blanton wrote. “I would ask that someone with the city go to the site and review the trees. The newly planted and the ones that survived the winter.”
Robbins detailed “a few concerns that need to be addressed” in a March 27 email to Henry Blanton, English Construction’s site superintendent for the new middle school project.
“The balled & burlap trees that were planted were planted with the wire cage and burlap left in place. This is detrimental to the health of the tree and dangerous when the stumps need to be ground in the future,” Robbins wrote. “The trees need to be dug up and replanted with the B&B material removed.”
In addition, he wrote, “All trees planted had a mulch volcano around the base of the tree. Fredericksburg mulching standards do not allow mulch closer than 3 [inches] from the trunk and no thicker than 3 [inches]. All of the new trees need to be re-mulched according to this standard.”
Blanton replied that he would “have the items addressed” and that he would report to Robbins when the landscapers “completed the corrections.”
Robbins told the Advance on April 13 that he has “not as yet” received a request from English Construction to inspect the replanted trees. David Ferguson, the school division’s director of operations, told the School Board at its April 13 meeting that the replanting has not been completed and that he would inform the board when it has been.
Robbins communicated much of the same information about the city’s tree planting guidelines to Blanton last year.
In a July 9, 2025, email, Robbins wrote, “It was brought to my attention that the trees planted at the Middle School had not been planted according to city guidelines… We inspected two trees, I found that the holes were not dug deep enough so the root flare was about 6 [inches] above grade. The soil was mounded to form a basin and shredded mulch was covering the base of the tree. Upon removing the mulch, one tree’s root flare was exposed, the other tree’s root flare was buried from the ball and burlap process.”
“Were I inspecting the trees today, I would fail most of them,” he continued. “Attached is the [city’s] guidelines for tree planting and mulching in grassy areas.”
According to the email correspondence, Robbins, Blanton, and the landscaper met on July 15, 2025, to review the tree planting.
“We are clear on your expectations for the tree plantings and mulching. As we discussed I am battling mother nature and pop-up thunderstorms, but we are striving to meet all City of Fredericksburg expectations,” Blanton wrote.
The cost of replacing the trees was covered by the warranty on the new middle school construction project, according to Katie Hornung, the school division’s communications supervisor.
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Excellent reporting & points made about how to properly plant trees. Also, I am not an arborist, but who plants trees (or much of anything) in the heat of July? That is incredibly stressful for the trees with the heat.
Why did the project manager sign off on the tree planting last summer even after the city arborist informed them that the trees had been improperly planted--three dozen of which subsequently died in less than nine months, and have now been replanted, once again improperly? Those trees cost taxpayers thousands of dollars, and have been a blight on the public landscape. The improper planting is invisible to most people, though very harmful to the trees. The volcano mulching, sanctioned by city schools, sets a bad example for students and their parents and passersby about proper tree care, many of whom will think that's the correct way to mulch, which in actuality it is harmful to the trees. Thanks for the story and getting the word out to the community about this.