Free trees available

COEUR d'ALENE - Need a new tree?

Free street trees for new neighborhoods are being offered by the city of Coeur d'Alene to residents willing to care for them.

Interested people should contact the Urban Forestry division of the Coeur d'Alene Parks Department to sign up for a street tree. There are a limited number of trees and they will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Funding for the trees is from a fee collected on residential building permits. The fees can be refunded to builders or new homeowners who plant a street tree upon completion of a new home.

Six months after the completion of a home, unclaimed funds are forfeited to the city. The city is now using these forfeited funds to purchase and plant trees in new neighborhoods.

The tree species still available for spring planting are honeylocust, hackberry, London planetree, and baldcypress. The trees will be planted by contract crews in May. Since there are a limited number of trees, homeowners are encouraged to reply as soon as possible. A response form is available online at http://www.cdaid.org, by sending an e-mail to kkosanke@cdaid.org, or by calling Urban Forestry at 415-0415 or 769-2266.