New Trees Planted in Town Square

[ChristianG]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svRri1GEzM4&feature=g-u-u&context=G2494716FUAAAAAAAAAA

Not big news, really, but I figured anything can spark up a conversation on these forums.

How do you think they look?

 

[gamedude]

Hopefully they stay and aren't for some commercial. Magic Kingdom needs the trees back.

 

[janoimagine]

Now if only they would bring back the trees in the castle hub.

 

[devoy1701]

those aren't going to do much in terms of shade. I couldn't tell from the video but they look like the smaller variety of Magnolia.

 

[steve2wdw]

And the others were just starting to get some size....at this stage, I don't like these at all. They look more like shrubs. I'd like to know what MK management has against mature trees. MK has gone from theme "park" to theme "parking lot" over the last decade.

 

[donsullivan]

Does anyone know whether this area of Town Square is over the top of the Utilidoors, or do they stop north of there at the edge of the buildings? When I've been down there it's hard to judge exactly how far south the building actually extends.

I know there have always been issues with trees above the Utilidoors which is part of why most of Fantasyland never had much in the way of trees. Just wondering if the older trees might have reached the maximum size and had to be swapped out.

 

[RandySavage]

And the others were just starting to get some size....at this stage, I don't like these at all. They look more like shrubs. I'd like to know what MK management has against mature trees. MK has gone from theme "park" to theme "parking lot" over the last decade.

These were my exact thoughts. Well put. I love big, old trees - they add immeasurably to park atmosphere (see Disneyland). Many of the MK landscaping decisions (i.e. tree removal) since 2002-3 have left me incensed.

 

[steve2wdw]

This picture was taken in 1980....back then, there were two trees in two of the "planter islands" and two more in the other two, for a total of 6 (as compared to the 4 that have been there for a number of years). I don't know if Town Square is over the utilidoor system, but as you can see, the square had much bigger trees in past years. It's a shame that the "park" feel of both Town Square and the Hub is gone.

 

[RandySavage]

^Amen.

 

[wdwmagic]

These were my exact thoughts. Well put. I love big, old trees - they add immeasurably to park atmosphere (see Disneyland). Many of the MK landscaping decisions (i.e. tree removal) since 2002-3 have left me incensed.

On Main Street it is all to do with Wishes and Castle show viewings.

 

[steve2wdw]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svRri1GEzM4&feature=g-u-u&context=G2494716FUAAAAAAAAAA

Not big news, really, but I figured anything can spark up a conversation on these forums.

How do you think they look?

Does anyone know if these new trees will keep their leaves year-round? If these grow into fuller, more "tree" shaped trees AND they keep their leaves throughout the year, I can forgive the horticulture team for wiping out the last group of trees. The only thing I didn't like about any of the previous trees in Town Square was the fact that they dropped their leaves for the winter. It left the whole square feeling dead during that period.

 

[RandySavage]

On Main Street it is all to do with Wishes and Castle show viewings.

I know. My opinion is that the cost (losing shade, atmosphere, beauty, sightline blockage, evening branch lights, etc.) isn't close to equaling the benefit (opening views to castle shows/fireworks for more people).

 

[steve2wdw]

On Main Street it is all to do with Wishes and Castle show viewings.

which is truly a shame..... although I feel that the last trees in TS didn't really block anything. You could still see the castle from the train station platform. I'd love to be a fly on the wall when these issues are discussed with park management.

DL's Rivers of America frontage suffered the same fate when Fantasmic was installed. Lots of mature trees were removed for sightlines.

 

[Murphketeer]

On Main Street it is all to do with Wishes and Castle show viewings.

this is true. many people park themselves on some of those spots very early in the evening.

 

[steve2wdw]

Here are a few examples of DL's deforestation of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyers Island for the installation of Fantasmic. At least the MK's Liberty Square, Frontierland and especially Tom Sawyers Island have much of their original growth preserved.

Many of the trees between NOS and the ROA no longer exist....

The same can be said for this stretch of Frontierland, and the present day TSI

In this pic, Pirates and the Treehouse are barely recognizable because of the trees...

I guess I would consider myself a tree hugger!

 

[steve2wdw]

^Amen.

Look at all the beautiful greenery Boy I miss this.....

 

[devoy1701]

Does anyone know if these new trees will keep their leaves year-round? If these grow into fuller, more "tree" shaped trees AND they keep their leaves throughout the year, I can forgive the horticulture team for wiping out the last group of trees. The only thing I didn't like about any of the previous trees in Town Square was the fact that they dropped their leaves for the winter. It left the whole square feeling dead during that period.

Yes they will keep their leaves all year. In the spring/summer they will bloom large white flowers. They will also drop large pods and leaves all year long. What I can't really tell from the video is if that is a regular Magnolia Tree or some variation. I think it's a smaller variation judging by how green the leaves are (and smaller). I don't think they are going to get very wide if they aren't the regular magnolias.

 

[steve2wdw]

Yes they will keep their leaves all year. In the spring/summer they will bloom large white flowers. They will also drop large pods and leaves all year long. What I can't really tell from the video is if that is a regular Magnolia Tree or some variation. I think it's a smaller variation judging by how green the leaves are (and smaller). I don't think they are going to get very wide if they aren't the regular magnolias.

Thanks....at least there's good news about the leaves. Let's hope they fill out a bit over time.

 

[JungleTrekFan]

Does anyone know if these new trees will keep their leaves year-round? If these grow into fuller, more "tree" shaped trees AND they keep their leaves throughout the year, I can forgive the horticulture team for wiping out the last group of trees. The only thing I didn't like about any of the previous trees in Town Square was the fact that they dropped their leaves for the winter. It left the whole square feeling dead during that period.

It looks like the type of magnolia that is all over where i live and it is a beautiful tree when fully mature. Its called the magnolia grandiflora, for its large flowers during late spring. They don’t loose all their leaves at once, instead the they slowly loose the old leaves as new one form, so it never looks dead, even in winter. Plus this tree is much taller with thicker leaves and branches than the previous trees which were very thin and never gave any shade. Hopefully they will allow these trees to actually fully mature.

Whoops.. devoy1701 beat me to it.

 

[steve2wdw]

It looks like the type of magnolia that is all over where i live and it is a beautiful tree when fully mature. Its called the magnolia grandiflora, for its large flowers during late spring. They don’t loose all their leaves at once, instead the they slowly loose the old leaves as new one form, so it never looks dead, even in winter. Plus this tree is much taller with thicker leaves and branches than the previous trees which were very thin and never gave any shade. Hopefully they will allow these trees to actually fully mature.

Whoops.. devoy1701 beat me to it.

Thanks to you too for the info. I also hope they let them mature. Obviously, up here in Maine, our trees lose all their leaves, making everything quite dreary for the better part of the year. I always look forward to the greenery at WDW during the winter months.