Iron Mountain trees provide $2.5 million value to community

The trees in Iron Mountain are worth $2.5 million? Yes, at least according to a recent tree inventory done by the Davey Tree Expert Company for the city of Iron Mountain.

The inventory was done as part of a grant funding award from the U.S. Forest Service, and also included the cities of Menominee and Ironwood. Arborists from Davey spent August in those cities, collecting information on city trees like type, size, condition and location. All that information went into the cities' Geographic Information Systems to add more details about the cities.

"This information can now be used by the city to reduce tree-related risks and increase public safety, identify insect and disease issues, and prioritize maintenance and planting so city funds are used most efficiently, and the benefits of Iron Mountain's urban forest are maximized for current and future generations," says Josh Behounek of the Davey Tree Expert Co.

Among the findings were that there are 5,173 publicly-owned trees, stumps and planting sites in Iron Mountain, Of those, 2,787 are existing trees. Those are mostly maple, which is 49 percent of the city's trees. The rest are pine, spruce and apple.

The survey will help the city decide what future actions to take on trees, and emphasizes the importance of public trees in a city, says Downtown Development Authority and Main Street manager Jonathan Ringel.

"Trees growing throughout the City of Iron Mountain constitute a valuable community resource and provide both tangible and intangible benefits for diverse services, such as pollution control, energy reduction, stormwater management, property values, wildlife habitat, education, and aesthetics," says Ringel.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Josh Behounek, The Davey Tree Expert Company