Town receives donations for tree-planting program; staff seeks sites and offers expanded grant application

Two donations and a multi-site tree-planting program were on the Flower Mound Town Council agenda Wednesday as town staff outlined recent plantings and asked council where to apply for a new Texas A&M Forest Service tree grant.

At the start of the meeting the Friends of the Flower Mound Library presented a check for $37,000 to library staff. A Friends representative said the group raises money primarily through donated books and quarterly sales and that the check augments the library budget. "Because of all of their hard work and the generous donations of our public, we are able to present tonight a check for $37,000 to the library," the Friends' president said.

The council also acknowledged a donation from Encore to help the town's annual tree-planting projects. Eric Montoya of Encore said company employees "live and work in the service areas for the communities that we serve" and that Encore wanted to be "a good neighbor" by supporting tree plantings. He said the company intends a multi-year relationship with the town to support planting trees safely away from power lines.

Sarah Luxton, senior management analyst, summarized the town's recent Colony Park planting and asked council to choose sites for the new grant application. Luxton said a Texas A&M Forest Service matching grant funded roughly $10,000 last year and helped pay part of a tree planting that cost about $32,000; the town planted 50 trees and distributed 50 saplings at a volunteer event. She said the grant program increased funding this year and that the town can apply for up to $20,000.

Staff recommended four town-owned candidate sites: Bakersfield Park (capacity for more than 50 trees), Shadow Ridge Park (along trails), Giroux (described as a micro-forest entryway to town) and the Animal Services property. Luxton said the grant requires the town to identify planting site(s) at application time; she said staff will consider market availability and native species while building lists of trees such as Texas red oak, live oak, cedar elm, bald cypress, redbud and lacebark elm.

Councilmembers asked about Encore's donation being directed to the High Road area, where residents previously raised concerns about tree removal during utility work. Town Manager James explained the donation is for the town's public tree-planting program and that public funds cannot be used to restore private property or private easements affected by prior utility work.

Mayor and council also discussed ways to involve volunteers and youth groups in plantings. Staff said the town's tree farm produces saplings but not the larger-caliper (30-gallon) specimens used in park installations; the tree farm's stock is intended to grow into larger specimens over years. Luxton said the town will also propose a future homeowner rebate program to help residents plant trees on private property.

Ending: Council asked staff to move forward with applications and outreach; staff will apply for the Texas A&M Forest Service grant and, depending on funding and match requirements, could pursue two sites this cycle (staff noted Shadow Ridge was estimated at around $25,000). The town will continue coordinating volunteer opportunities with local groups, including Girl Scouts who recently proposed a community tree-planting initiative.