THE MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION HAS NOTIFIED THE CITY OF CAMERON THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS APPROVED THE CITY’S APPLICATION FOR A $7,019 GRANT TO INVENTORY SOME 4,000 EXISTING TREES ALONG CITY STREETS.
PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR DREW BONTRAGER SAYS THE TREE INVENTORY IS THE PERFECT TOOL TO JUMPSTART COMMUNITY INTEREST AND ESTABLISH A FORMAL TREE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.
BONTRAGER NOTES THAT THE CITY COUNCIL IDENTIFIED TREE PLANTING AND MANAGEMENT AS ONE OF ITS PRIORITIES IN ITS 2010 VISIONING SESSION.
THE CITY HAS ALSO APPOINTED A TREE ADVISORY BOARD THROUGH WHICH IT PLANS TO DEVELOP A TREE MASTER PLAN WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF BECOMING A TREE CITY USA.
THE CITY INTENDS TO PLANT DOZENS OF NEW TREES YEARLY ALONG CITY STREETS, BUT IT NEEDS TO DETERMINE WHAT KIND OF TREES IT HAS FIRST.
THE GRANT FUNDS WILL GO TOWARD HIRING A CERTIFIED ARBORIST TO COMPLETE THE TREE INVENTORY USING A HANDHELD GPS UNIT WHICH WILL PLOT EXISTING STREET TREES ONTO THE CITY’S GIS SYSTEM AND THEN BE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC ON THE CITY WEB SITE, WWW.CAMERONMO.COM.
THE INVENTORY WILL BE THE STARTING POINT FOR AN ONGOING COMPREHENSIVE TREE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM AS STAFF MEMBERS RECORD EACH STREET TREE REMOVED AND PLANTED OVER THE YEARS.
THE ARBORIST WILL IDENTIFY EACH TREE ONLY IN THE STREET RIGHTS-OF-WAY BY SPECIES AND VARIETY. HE/SHE WILL ALSO ASSESS SIZE, CONDITION AND MAINTENANCE NEEDS.
CAMERON HAS ABOUT 100 MILES OF STREET RIGHT-OF-WAYS WITH AN AVERAGE OF 40 TREES PER MILE.
THE CITY PROVIDES $4,680 IN MATCHING COST SHARE THROUGH CITY STAFF AND ADMINISTRATION.
THE GRANT IS PART OF THE CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT’S TREE RESOURCE IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE, OR "TRIM", PROGRAM.
THE TREE INVENTORY PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO TAKE ONLY ABOUT TWO WEEKS TO COMPLETE AND WILL BE DONE IN THE SPRING OF 2011.
