This fall you might spot a smattering of leaf peepers in Ypsilanti. But
no, they won't be taking in the shades of red, rust, and gold. They'll
be on a tree counting mission to kick off the city's adoption of an
urban forestry plan.
The point of the plan is to update the city's tree inventory, see which
areas could use more tree cover, and to intersperse younger, different
varieties of trees into patches of old. This will ensure a diversity of
species and ages in city parks, Ypsilanti City Planner Teresa Gillotti
explains.
An urban tree nursery from which tree stock would be replenished is also
in the works. Its interim location will likely be on a portion of the
city's downtown Water Street property that's slated for redevelopment.
Gillotti figures the nursery site will be at the rear of the property,
which has plenty of fill soil and would likely not be the first area to
be redeveloped on the site.
"Even as our budgets are decreasing, we're looking to set up a process
where...people donate money for trees, but then we'd like them to be
able to do that in such a way that would pay for us to then plant a few
[trees] from our nursery and then replace that stock and have a
sustainable long-term nursery to meet the city's needs," explains
Gillotti.
The project is funded through a $141,000 Great Lakes Restoration
Initiative for Urban Forestry grant. The Washtenaw County Employment
Training and Community Service department will cover labor costs for a
"Green Team" of 3-5 youth and young adult workers, who will be involved
in all aspects, including the GIS-based inventory, identifying and
assessing trees, and getting the nursery off the ground, Gillotti says.
Ypsilanti
officials are reviewing contractors' proposals for the inventory and
canopy cover analysis; a final selection should be approved by City
Council later this month. Gillotti says inventorying will start this
fall, with planting slated for spring and autumn 2012.
Source: Teresa Gillotti, Ypsilanti city planner
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar
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