Over $133K in tree funds awarded to Cd'A

The city of Coeur d'Alene was awarded federal stimulus grant funding to perform public tree maintenance work.

The funds come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, distributed to the Idaho Department of Lands in cooperation with the USDA-Forest Service. Coeur d'Alene is one of only four communities in Kootenai and Bonner counties that qualified for and was awarded funds. Coeur d'Alene's award is for $133,512.

The purpose of these funds is to help communities improve the overall health and value of their public tree resources while increasing public safety. The city has plans to contract work on both park trees and street trees. Nearly 300 trees will be removed or pruned.

To determine street tree work, Urban Forestry personnel did hazard assessments on 250 trees reported by the street tree inventory to be in "poor" condition. Over 100 of those in the poorest condition are slated for removal.

An additional 50 street trees will be pruned. Most of the 118 park trees included in the grant will be pruned to improve their safety and health.

ARRA funding for tree maintenance work will benefit local tree contractors by providing the wherewithal to perform much-needed tree maintenance services. Under city ordinances, abutting property owners are responsible for the care and maintenance of trees within public rights-of-way.

Therefore, ARRA funding will also save abutting property owners the maintenance costs for the trees in most need. However, abutting property owners will still be responsible for planting replacement trees for any that need to be removed from the public rights of way as a result of maintenance services initially funded through ARRA.

Within the next couple of weeks, property owners will be contacted if they live where the street tree work is scheduled to be conducted.

ARRA funds are welcomed and much appreciated, however the funding will only cover trees in greatest need.

The 300 trees which will receive attention represent less than 2 percent of the 23,300 public trees in city parks and rights of way.

Questions can be directed to Karen Haskew, city forester at 769-2266 or karenh@cdaid.org.