Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Urban Forestry topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Apache Junction renews Tree City USA status; staff earn growth award for tree salvage work
Summary
Parks staff said the city renewed its Tree City USA designation and earned the Arbor Day Foundation Growth Award for work that included salvaging and replanting 314 boxed trees and a SRP 'Right Tree, Right Place' project that replaced 30 at‑risk trees with 90 new trees.
Liz (Parks and Recreation staff) told the commission on March 5 that the city’s Tree City USA applications were approved and that Apache Junction received a Growth Award from the Arbor Day Foundation.
The application materials highlighted tree salvage and reuse tied to recent park projects. Liz said 314 trees removed during construction at Painted Sky/Blossom Rock were boxed, cared for and replanted across park spaces and linear parks. The submission also included a salvage plan for that site and documentation of planting and care.
Liz described other points in the city’s application, including a partnership membership in the Alliance for Community Trees and city collaborations with Arizona‑based partners. She said staff plan to attend the state Arbor Day ceremony in Phoenix to accept the Growth Award and bring details back to the commission.
Liz also described a contractor/utility partnership called the SRP 'Right Tree, Right Place' program that removed 30 trees on city property that were at risk of interfering with utility lines and replaced them with 90 replacement trees planted in parks and medians. She said the replacements were 24‑gallon (size) trees and that the work produced large, visible plantings across city sites.
Commissioners asked about related equipment and reuse: staff said a proposal to add a wood chipper to the parks budget is under consideration, which would allow more on‑site mulch use; staff cautioned public distribution would raise safety and liability issues. Staff also noted other non‑tree donations (benches) exist in the inventory but were not part of the Tree City application.
No vote was taken; the report was informational. Liz said staff will return after the state Arbor Day ceremony to share the award and documentation.
