A couple of Upper Peninsula communities will be getting some much needed assistance this summer in its effort to assess the condition of trees along their streets.
A grant totaling $88,000 was recently awarded by the
USDA Forest Service to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and The Davey Tree Expert Company to work with the Cities of Iron Mountain, Ironwood and Menominee on a public street tree assessment.
This partnership between federal, state, local governments and the private sector will target trees along all of the towns' public streets. Davey's crew will begin the comprehensive tree assessment in Iron Mountain in early August and expect to be completed by the end of August.
"Through this partnership and grant, the city will be able to accomplish something it could not finance or conduct on its own," says Jonathan Ringel, DDA/Main Street in Iron Mountain. "The information we gather will help our tree board prioritize where work needs to be done so they can more efficiently schedule tree maintenance. It will also help the entire community by reducing risks, such as power outages or storm damage, and identifying potential planting locations for the future."
Davey's Certified Arborists will collect site-specific information that will be incorporated into the cities' Geographic Information System (GIS). Crews will also record detailed information about each tree including type, size, condition and location along public streets. This information can then be used by the city to reduce tree-related risks and increase public safety, identify insect and disease issues, and prioritize maintenance and planting.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Jonathan Ringel, Iron Mountain DDA/Main Street
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