How Do Your Trees Look? The park bond, passed in 2008, funds a program for the repair and restoration of trees within city parks for the first time, including new tree planting. In preparing for a focused tree element of the parks bond, it is important that the Recreation and Parks Department has a clear snapshot of current park forestry issues.
Luckily, park advocates in the city already have a perfect tool for reporting: ParkScan! We encourage you to make a commitment this month to get out to your neighborhood park and observe your park’s trees. The information you provide will help determine how this $4-million chunk of the parks bond is spent. Here are some things to look for:
- Hanging or broken limbs that are 4” or greater in diameter (especially limbs over pedestrian pathways)
- Tree health (except for seasonal tree health – i.e. trees that die in the winter)
- Vines that have extended more than 5 feet up the tree trunk and have gotten into the tree’s canopy
To read more about the city’s plan for tree maintenance, click here to download the Parks Bond Report and go to page 49.
