Vancouver gets grant to inventory park trees

The city of Vancouver Urban Forestry Division was awarded a grant from the Washington Department of Natural Resources to inventory the trees in the city’s neighborhood parks.

A private contractor will be hired with a grant from the DNR Urban and Community Forestry Program to inventory up to 2,500 trees. Documenting tree composition, health, location and maintenance needs will create an inventory to serve as a basis for comprehensive management plans for the city’s trees.

“The inventory will enable the city to proactively manage assets in our parks system, allowing us to make decisions about tree maintenance, species of trees to plant, and locations that would benefit from planting trees,” Vancouver Urban Forester Charles Ray said in a news release.

City officials will focus future planning to emphasize having an urban forest diverse in age and native species. A mixed forest ensures that no single event, pest or disease will kill too many of the city’s trees.

The work is expected to take two years or less. It’ll examine trees in neighborhood parks in each of the seven park districts, including Arnada Park, Evergreen Park, Franklin Park, Columbia Lancaster Park, Coop Park, DuBois Park, Bella Vista Park, Biddlewood Park, Fir Crest Park, Clearmeadows Park, Fisher’s Creek Park, Heritage Park, Diamond Park, Fir Garden Park, Centerpointe Park, Jaggy Road Park and Oakbrook Park.

Results of the inventory will be used for long-term, sustainable management of urban forestry in Vancouver parks. The project is paid for by the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program, administered through the Washington Department of Natural Resources Urban and Community Forestry Program.

For more information about the city’s urban forestry program, visit: www.cityofvancouver.us/urbanforestry.