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Tree board outlines fall planting schedule under grant; members push for more neighborhood plantings
Summary
Board members described a fall planting schedule funded through a grant applied for by a community partner and discussed targeting high-traffic corridors and canopy-deficit neighborhoods. The board noted constraints that the grant requires many plantings on public property.
Members of the Evansville City Tree Advisory Board discussed a multi-site fall planting schedule tied to a grant applied for by a community partner and recommended expanding plantings into neighborhoods and high-traffic corridors.
Board members said they met with Westman Woods and Nick from Keep Evansville Beautiful to coordinate several planting events funded through the grant. The schedule discussed at the Sept. 4 meeting includes about 65 trees at Anthony Oates Park, a planting event on Nov. 15 at Deaconess Gable expected to add more than 60 trees, a smaller planting on Nov. 22 at the State Hospital property, and a Dec. 6 planting in the Jacobsville Park area. Exact counts at some sites were described as approximate during discussion.
Board members urged staff and partners to prioritize plantings along public rights of way and in neighborhoods with documented canopy deficits rather than focusing mainly on park locations. One member proposed a corridor strategy for North Green River Road, which carries tens of thousands of vehicles daily, suggesting a concentrated campaign to plant 200 or more trees along that corridor if elected officials and partner agencies agree.
Staff and board members explained why some sites are limited to public property. "The grant requires a pretty high percentage of these trees to be planted on public property through the DNR," a board representative said, and the Solid Waste District confirmed they can only place trees on public land because ownership and long-term maintenance of trees in sidewalk rights of way raise legal and maintenance questions.
Federal funding was cited as the reason certain thoroughfare plantings (for example, Walnut Street and Lloyd Expressway projects) could proceed more readily; when federal money is linked to a corridor project, additional planting funds and protective elements are often available. Board members said they are coordinating with INDOT on some right-of-way pedestrian and planting studies and with other municipal partners on large corridor projects.
Board members also discussed outreach and education to increase neighborhood acceptance of large shade trees (noting some residents prefer ornamental trees), the value of native species, and the need for maintenance to improve survival rates for new plantings. Several members urged a focused education and planting campaign in Near East Side and Near North Side neighborhoods, which the board's canopy analysis identified as having lower tree cover.
The board asked staff to draft amended canopy-plan language and to consult elected officials and partner agencies about a possible corridor pilot project. Dates and final tree counts will be confirmed with partners and reported back to the board.
