| Montrose
District - Urban &
Community Forestry
Arbor Day
. Tree City USA® .
Tree Grants . Tree
Care . Champion Tree Program
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Arbor Day
In 2006, America celebrated the 134th anniversary
of Arbor Day. This tree
planting holiday was the brain child of J.
Sterling Morton, a journalist, who moved to Nebraska
in the mid 1850’s. Arbor Day was a result
of the appreciation he had for trees. The very
first Arbor Day was celebrated in Nebraska
on April 10, 1872. It is estimated that over a
million trees were planted across the state of
Nebraska on that first Arbor Day.
Arbor Day is celebrated on many different days
throughout the country. The earliest date is in
Florida and Louisiana where they celebrate on
the third Friday in January. In South Carolina,
the first Friday in December is Arbor Day. In
Colorado, we celebrate Arbor Day on the third
Friday in April; for most of Colorado, that date
is ideal for tree planting. However, mountain
communities usually wait until May or June. Some
communities combine the Arbor Day observance with
Earth Day, which is celebrated on April 22nd.
The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) can provide
information and ideas on how
to celebrate this tree planter’s holiday.
Arbor Day can be any day you choose to plant a
tree.
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Tree City USA®
The National
Arbor Day Foundation in conjunction with the
United
States Forest Service and the National
Association of State Foresters sponsors the
Tree
City USA® program. This program has been
in existence since 1976. This year marks the 26th
year that communities across the country have
been recognized for their tree care programs.
To become a Tree City USA®, a community must
annually satisfy the
following four standards:
- A Tree Board or Department -
Most communities are not large enough to support
a staff position devoted entirely to the care
of trees within the town limits. Therefore,
a group of citizens is appointed and charged
by an ordinance to develop and administer a
tree management program for trees on public
property. This group of citizens usually serves
on a voluntary basis much like other boards
in the city. Some communities have elected to
have the city council or trustees serve as the
Tree Board. Larger cities usually have salaried
employees to care for the public trees.
- A Community Tree Ordinance
- This ordinance gives power to the tree board
or department. The ordinance should determine
public tree care policies for planting, maintenance,
and removals on public property. A list of recommended
trees for the community should be referenced
in this ordinance and be made available to the
citizens of that community. Learn
more.
- A Community Forestry Program with
an Annual Budget of at Least $2 Per Capita
- A town must spend at least $2 per capita on
the the community forestry program. Some examples
of acceptable expenditures on trees include:
planting, removals, inventories, maintenance,
pest surveys, pruning, public classes on tree
care, educational handouts, etc. These expenditures
must be applied towards and directly benefit
the public trees in the community.
- An Arbor Day Observance and Proclamation
- Arbor Day must be celebrated to fulfill the
fourth standard. A proclamation issued by the
mayor must accompany the observance and declare
the observance of Arbor Day in the community.
Take
a look at a sample PDF.
In Colorado, more than 30 percent of the communities
have been acknowledged by the National Arbor Day
Foundation as a Tree City USA®. Montrose,
Olathe, and Ouray -- all within the Montrose District
-- were recognized for their accomplishments in
community forestry. The CSFS annually assists
communities who desire to become and continue
as a Tree City USA®.
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Tree Grants
The CSFS assists communities who desire to take
advantage of several grants available for tree
planting and public education about trees. All
tree grants require some match by the applicant
and a plan of action. If trees are to be planted,
a maintenance plan is also required.
The Colorado Tree Coalition (CTC)
grant can be for tree planting or educational
projects concerning proper tree planting, maintenance,
or management of the urban forest. This CTC grant
is available to local governments, neighborhood
groups, and private non-profit organizations.
An applicant can request from $500 to $2,000 but
must match the requested amount. The match must
be with non-federal dollars. In-kind personnel
and volunteer services will not be considered
as a suitable match. The grant project must have
an educational component to it. Grant applications
are usually available in the fall with a deadline
of mid-December to the CSFS District Forester.
More
information about the Colorado Tree Coalition.
The Colorado Parks and Recreation Association
(CPRA) in cooperation with Colorado RELEAF
and Global RELEAF sponsors a tree planting grant.
This CPRA tree grant is sometimes co-sponsored
by a local corporation (i.e., Leanin’ Tree
Inc.). The grant is for those entities that would
normally not qualify for financial assistance.
Matching grants of up to $500 are available. These
grants must be matched with local funding and
must comprise at least 50 percent of the project
cost. Grant applications are usually available
before Christmas with a deadline of mid-January
to the ReLeaf Coordinator.
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Tree Care
A community forest is dynamic. As a result, community
tree care managers must annually keep on top of
the needs and health of these trees. To help communities
address these needs, CSFS has set up several programs
to help communities effectively manage the urban
forest.
- A tree inventory of the public trees is often
the first step towards effectively managing
the community forest, and can be very useful
to the community. A typical inventory will identify
tree species, hazardous trees, pruning needs,
insect problems, incidence of disease, and open
spaces available for tree planting. This tree
inventory is an integral part of any long-range
plan to sustain the urban forest.
- The Fruita tree board and CSFS have teamed
up to create Sick Tree Day for citizens of Fruita.
The tree board advertises Sick Tree Day in the
local newspaper and invites citizens to sign
up at the town hall to have their trees inspected
by a forester. Then, the tree board and the
forester look at the problem trees. This service,
provided twice each summer by the tree board,
is a great opportunity to promote their community
forestry program and the tree board. It also
provides an educational opportunity for tree
board members.
- Thousands of trees have been planted in Colorado
communities since 1991 with the establishment
of the Tree Grant program. The first trees planted
in this program are now ready to be pruned.
Research by urban foresters in large cities
and universities has shown that the pruning
done in the early stages of a tree’s life
can significantly improve and prolong the effective
life of the tree. To accomplish that goal, CSFS
has set up the Pruning Workshop. This all day
class covers the "when,
where and how to" of pruning and caring
for young trees. The target audience for this
workshop are tree board members, city maintenance
personnel, and local citizens.
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Champion Tree Program
American Forests maintain a national registry
of the
largest trees in the nation. The
Colorado Tree Coalition administers the Champion
Tree Program in Colorado. CSFS assists by
helping to locate champions, publicizing the program,
and educating Coloradoans about our big trees.
The CTC web site provides a
database listing of current Colorado champions
and describes how to measure and nominate big
trees and the procedure used to verify potential
state champs.
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