More than two dozen residents, many of them neighbors, turned out Saturday afternoon, April 23, for an Arbor Day tree planting at Evergreen Park, located at the junction of Evergreen Lane and Nandina Street.
City Tree and Park Commission Chair Wally Shreves told participants that Sweet Home has been recognized as a Tree City USA for the 35th consecutive year.
“That’s significant because the awards have only been given out for 46 years,” he said, noting that trees have been a major Sweet Home focus “for many years.”
To be named a Tree City USA, a city must have a tree board or department, must have established a community ordinance for tree care, must have a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per resident, and must have an Arbor Day observance and proclamation, Shreves said.
“That’s a significant amount,” he said of the expenditure required.
Though Arbor Day is actually April 29, the city decided to hold it Saturday, he said.
Participants helped plant three flame maple trees, standing about 25 feet tall, which are intended to replace a stand of Douglas firs that had to be removed last year after one fell and damaged a neighboring house.
Shreves noted that trees in cities can have limited lifespans, because their roots can get into water or sewer lines and damage roads and sidewalks.
In recent years, city officials have been trying to replace trees with species that are more conducive to the locations in which they are planted.
The flame maples should be spectacular in the fall, Shreves said.
“They are a good park tree,” he said. “They will provide good shade and they won’t expand into the road.”
– Scott Swanson