City Trees

community. For example, after a tornado devasted the town of Pendleton, Indiana, the Indiana Division of Forestry's Community Urban Forestry Program worked tirelessly to coordinate the replanting of hun- dreds of trees in the community. After a hurricane wrecked much of the Texas coastline, the Texas A&M Forest Service worked swiftly to help distribute trees in Port Aransas, Texas. After a spruce beetle infes- tation that decimated thousands of Alaska's trees with the swiftness of a natural disaster, the Parks and Recreation Department of Anchorage sprang into action to start building Alaska's tree canopy back up. These state and city urban forestry professionals worked in tandem with local organizations to help the community restore their urban tree canopy. Working Together to Secure the Future One of the main goals for the state urban forestry professionals who aid in the replanting efforts after natural disasters is to provide all knowl- edge needed for communities to plant and later maintain their trees. For the replanting project in Pendleton, Indiana, the Indiana Division of Forestry collaborated with certified arborists and architects to conduct over 300 individual site visits to ensure trees would be planted in the right place. Further, the planting site was marked clearly for the volunteers doing the planting. When trees are being replanted on private lands and in private yards and homes, it is essential to guar- antee that individual homeowners have the correct information to ensure the tree has a good chance for survival. Therefore, the Texas A&M Forest Service has formed a close partnership with members of the community where they distribute trees. They provide citizens brochures containing information on the species of tree individuals are receiving, how to plant a tree, and proper watering techniques. In addition, the municipal government of Anchorage maintains a highly trained horticulture depart- ment that works diligently with individuals and local nonprofits to educate the public on how to plant and maintain trees. They also provide infor- mation on the significance of tree distribution and how it offsets the loss of the native tree canopy. Due to the additional challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic during the Pendleton recovery work, the Indiana Division of Forestry had to determine safe ways of disseminating information to the com- munity on how best to take care of the trees. The local tree planting organization they partnered with would send email reminders during diffi- cult dry spells to remind recipients to water the trees they received. They also included stickers with tree care instructions on the containers. Anchorage's Parks and Recreation Department places special emphasis on planting native trees and warning of the dangers of invasive species. Each of these urban forestry professionals ensures that the trees distributed and planted in commu- nities will have the best chance for survival. For example, Pendleton, Indiana's city government put its contact information on nearly everything distrib- uted and encouraged citizens to reach out with any issues regarding the trees. Similarly, the local munic- ipal governments are responsible for tree follow-ups whenever the Texas A&M Forest Service conducts its tree distribution. Anchorage's horticulture depart- ment is deeply involved with all the trees planted in urban parks and performs an aerial survey every ten years in partnership with Alaska's State Forestry Division. They work to instill in their local partners an understanding of the significance of the work they are doing to support local tree-planting endeavors. Why (Re)Planting Trees Matters Trees planted in neighborhoods and communities have both tangible and intangible benefits. For a long time, trees were planted in neighborhoods in towns and cities across the United States for landscaping and aesthetic purposes. They were planted without realizing the full scope of benefits they provide. >> urban-forestry.com 23

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