Verona arborist outlines plan to grow canopy, phase out vulnerable ash trees

Jerry Halesman, the city’s certified arborist, told residents at an Arbor Day presentation that Verona manages about 4,800 public trees and is working to raise the city’s tree canopy from roughly 16% toward 25–30% through planting, maintenance and a new urban-forest strategic plan.

Halesman said the city plants roughly 300 trees a year, is treating ash trees to slow spread of the emerald ash borer and has launched a “heritage ash” program that will select about 50 high-quality ash trees to preserve while removing and replacing other ash trees over the next five to 10 years.

The plan matters, Halesman said, because trees deliver measurable annual benefits. “With that 16% we have almost $500,000 of annual benefits, and CO2 is sequestering worth about $300,000,” he said, adding that the city also counts roughly $100,000 a year in air-pollution benefits and about $90,000 a year in avoided…