Forester reports 350 removals; board proposes $30,000 for parkway restoration from violations fund

City Forester Phil Graff presented the forester's report at the Aug. 5 meeting and laid out inventory and restoration needs from recent removals. He told the board that roughly 350 trees were removed through the removal program and that about 260 of those removals will require parkway restoration work such as seeding and strawing.

"Out of those 350 trees removed, 260 of them require some form of parkway restoration," Graff said. He described discussions with Drew Hart, the US Forest Service grant administrator, who indicated grant funds are intended primarily to plant and replace trees rather than to pay for parkway restoration in all cases. Graff said the board sought bids from local contractors and is asking for $30,000 from the tree-violations fund to cover the restoration work; he cited the fund balance as approximately $261,000. He emphasized that the appropriation would still require city council approval before work begins.

Board members discussed whether to use the tree-violations fund conservatively because receipts into that fund may not be replenished at prior rates. One member recommended seeking matching grants where possible and coordinating with the city's community-crossing matching-grant program for some locations. Graff said the contractor bids covered basic restoration steps (grass seed and straw) and that the work would be scheduled for early fall if city council approves the draw.