How Do Communities Decide Where To Plant Trees?

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Friday is Arbor Day — a chance to celebrate and improve nature by planting trees.

Many Minnesota cities will host events, and encourage residents to plant alongside forestry crews. But how do communities decide where to plant trees? WCCO spoke with arborist Greg Hoag.

“Think back to the 70s. Every tree along the boulevard was an elm tree, They’re almost all gone now,” Hoag said.

Then emerald ash borer was discovered in Minnesota in 2009. Now, many cities are simply trying to replace the ash trees they’re cutting down.

“We work very hard at diversifying the stock of trees with the type,” Hoag said.

He says his forestry crew will first plant trees in neighborhoods where trees are being removed.

“We move all around the city, and don’t just focus on one area,” Hoag said.

The money for tree planting in Brooklyn Park comes from grants. In other cities, it’s part of their budget. In Minneapolis, the-80 person forestry department falls under the park board, according to Philip Potyondy, the board’s sustainable forestry coordinator.

“We’re working in all the neighborhoods all the time,” Potyondy said.

(credit: CBS)

They try to plant next to where they remove.

“We’re one for one, we’re really fortunate,” he said.

And when that’s too tough — whether it be space or utilities or safety — the arborists in Minneapolis plant somewhere else.

“We look for neighborhoods that include areas of concentrated poverty, and areas where there are more than 50% people of color,” Potyondy said. “We’re just trying to do the best we can in terms of equity.”

Some cities don’t plant in boulevards.

“A lot of underground utilities that you have to work around, and overhead utilities,” Hoag said.

Brooklyn Park started just a few years back.

“That’s a program we’re still working to completely put together,” Hoag said.

And as they keep planting in public spaces, these urban foresters encourage people to plant in their own yards, too.

“If I can give any advice to people, it’s never too early to plant a tree,” Hoag said. “The best time to plant a tree really was yesterday.”

Many cities let residents buy trees at a lower cost. The experts also told WCCO that if you can’t plant your own, help them out by watering young public trees in your neighborhood. They need about one inch of water per week.

Source: CBS Minnesota