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Logan creates neighborhood-led forestry advisory board as urban canopy ages; federal planting grant canceled
Summary
City forester Rex Davis told the Logan Municipal Council the city will formalize a forestry advisory board composed of neighborhood chairs and municipal staff to guide tree removals, plantings and a new management plan; city officials said a $300,000 USDA/Arbor Foundation grant was canceled and staff will seek other funding.
Logan — The Logan Municipal Council on March 2025 heard a plan from City Forester Rex Davis to formalize a forestry advisory board that will include neighborhood chair representatives, Parks and Recreation, Light & Power and Public Works staff to advise on tree removals, plantings and an updated urban-forest management plan.
Davis told council members he has been with Logan City for 17 years and described the city’s tree canopy as “a rapidly aging urban forest,” saying the new advisory board will meet quarterly and will help make “some of the more tough decisions such as tree removals for sidewalk issues.”
The advisory board will be composed of neighborhood chairs from areas including Wilson, Ellis, Bridger, Soane, Adams and Hillcrest, with Parks and Recreation, Light and Power and Public Works staff also participating. Davis said the board will help explore alternatives to removal — for example, grinding sidewalks — and will seek outside funding and volunteers for tree planting.
“We’re going to really follow all these rules moving forward,” Davis told the council, saying the board will replace an informal group and aim for clearer, quarterly processes. He said initial member term lengths will be staggered so future terms run three years.
Mayor (unnamed) and Davis also told the council that a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Arbor Foundation — $100,000 per year over three years — that the city had expected for larger tree plantings was canceled. “We did get notification that that grant has been canceled,” the mayor said, and city staff said they will pursue other grants such as opportunities through the Arbor Day Foundation.
Davis asked council members to help identify “more sensitive areas in our town” that could be a focus for a third‑party, more detailed urban‑forest management plan. He also requested that council consider adding a Community Development representative to the advisory board to coordinate park‑strip rules and water‑wise landscaping guidance. Council members discussed the tension between water‑conscious landscaping and tree care, noting that water-wise yards still require watering to establish trees.
The forester also described current operational needs: he said his crew has been on storm response clearing roads and sidewalks, and that volunteers such as Eagle Scout projects, which previously supported plantings, have declined.
The council did not take a formal vote on establishing the board during the meeting; Davis said he will return with the initial membership and that the mayor will fill board vacancies “with the advice and consent of this council.”
Ending — Davis closed by noting Logan’s 40th consecutive year as a Tree City USA, which the city will recognize this year.
