forestry - City of Cedar Rapids

FORESTRY
Forestry is responsible for planting and maintaining trees and woody vegetation along
City right-of-ways, parks and golf courses. The program, a division of the Cedar Rapids
Parks & Recreation Department, maintains approximately 85,000 public trees within the
borders of Cedar Rapids. Included are:
•4,000 acres of parks containing 10,000 trees
•1,000 acres of golf courses containing 5,000 trees
•618 linear miles of City right-of-way with an estimated 70,000 trees
Forestry plants trees in the spring
and fall through a reforestation
capital improvement project (CIP).
Additional grants are received from
Alliant, MidAmerican Energy and Trees
Forever. This fall they will be planting:
• 84 trees - SW quadrant
• 32 trees - SE quadrant
• 48 trees - NW quadrant
• 81 trees - NE quadrant
The trees are being planted either
by request of a Cedar Rapids citizen,
as replacements for trees that were
removed due to health or damage,
or as part of the Single Family New
Home program.
The Single Family New Home program
allows builders to have the City plant
the street trees required for new
homes. The cost of the program is
based on the average cost of a new
tree and is funded separately from the
reforestration CIP.
Residents who would like to plant a
tree in the City’s right-of-way must
complete the Permit Application. It is
available at CRREC.org.
Fall/Winter Tree
Trimming
Forestry will begin trimming oak, elm
and young trees in the City’s right-ofway (ROW) in November. ROW tree
trimming is a service provided free of
charge by the City by request. Contact
Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation,
Parks Division at 319-286-5747 or
parks@cedar-rapids.org.
Safety Training
ELECTRICAL HAZARD AWARENESS
On Friday, October 21, the City is
hosting an Electrical Hazard Awareness Program (EHAP) for both City of
Cedar Rapids employees and private
tree care companies. The class is
taught by Dr. John Ball. Students will
learn how to identify, understand and
avoid electrical hazards. This training
also helps employers meet OSHA and
ANSI safety requirements. Those who
would like to participate may contact
the Tree Care Industry Association
(TCIA) for details.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION: PAGE 55
Tree Inventory
The City is currently under contract
with ArborPro to inventory the ROW
street trees within city limits. The
inventory is expected to be completed
October 2016. The inventory will
help Forestry more effectively plan
for scheduled tree maintenance and
prepare for potential threats to the urban tree canopy such as Emerald Ash
Borer. The inventory will also provide
information regarding the financial
benefits provided by the trees in
terms of storm water capture, carbon
sequestration, increased property
values and other metrics.
PLAY!
Fall Tree Planting
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