State Money For Urban Trees

Spokane will get $20,000 from the state Department of Natural Resources to help develop an urban tree care program.

The state money must be used to set up an urban tree board and draft an ordinance to help manage the city’s ailing trees, said Jim Flott, horticulture manager for the Parks and Recreation Department.

“In general, (Spokane’s) trees are in pretty poor condition,” Flott said. “A lot of them were planted at the turn of the century and are in various stages of decline and death.”

Spokane was one of five cities to receive the state money designed to increase the number of community trees. Others are Carnation, Chehalis, Marysville and Tumwater.

City Council members dedicated $62,500 this year to developing an urban tree program. The Park Board matched that amount.

The money is being used to count and appraise trees. The inventory will take at least four years to complete, Flott said. , DataTimes