Board considers tree inventory

Written by Chase Jordan

Wednesday, 17 June 2009 08:00

The Spring Hill Green Board is looking at tree inventory in the future for the benefit of the city.

Kim Bomberger, the district community forester from the Kansas Forest Service, presented information to the board Monday. She said the purpose of the inventory is to gather information to set goals and objectives. Bomberger said inventory can help establish the value of trees in the city.

“The more we know, the better,” Bomberger said. “My belief is that citizens benefit from what the city does.”

Bomberger also discussed storm damage and emergency response. She said data is important to understand potential threats.
“If you have an ice storm and you can say to FEMA that our forest is worth this much,” Bomberger said, “It gives us strength and support for an argument we can make.”
She hopes everybody can learn about the value of trees in their cities. During her presentation, she gave examples of environmental services that trees provide in Osage City and Marysville. Some of the data included energy, air quality and landscaping. The value of 3,711 tress in Osage was estimated to be more than $5 million, and $9 million in Marysville.

“This can drive how you develop your storm water systems in your town,” said Bomberger about the gallons of rainfall intercepted by trees.

She recommended for a city to have a variety of trees because of diseases, storms and insects.

“We recommend eight to 10 percent of any species,” she said. “There’s always something that’s going to threatened the population of trees.”

Bomberger said inventories are completed in Kansas by foresters that work with city staff and board members. In Missouri, grants are provided to communities to hire consultants. She said board members can assist her by using a paper inventory method or by using STRATUM, an acronym for Street Tree Resource Analysis Tool for Urban Forest Managers. The tool estimates structure, function, value and management needs.

In other business:
Board members approved to resubmit the Ginkgo as the official city tree. Board member Andy Castillo said the tree was not liked by a few citizens during the city council in the Spring because of fruit-like items from the female trees that cause odor.

“I’ll make a run for the Ginkgo,” Bomberger said. “There is no other tree that has the same leaf shape as the Ginkgo. It was one of the earliest trees found in fossils.”

Board members also discussed the schedule of events for the Arbor Day celebration at the fall festival. Items discussed included rain barrel demonstrations, sales of daffodils,and the official adoption of the city’s tree and flower and literature for distribution.

Set as favorite

Bookmark

Email This

Trackback(0)

TrackBack URI for this entry