Fall 08
Vol. 13 No. 4

Parks plants for a livelier tomorrow

Richard Caudell maintains the elms waiting for pick up by residents as part of the NeighborWoods program. Photo by Dave Schafer

By Dave Schafer

A small forest of elm trees is growing beside the white-and-red urban forester’s office across from Memorial Park. They’re scraggly in their pots, and they need love.

They’re waiting for residents to pick them out, plant them on city land, and tend them for the two years it will take them to become self-sufficient.

It’s like picking out a Christmas tree, but these trees will hold gifts for all residents.

“We’re very hot day-to-day, and the air is dirty, and trees, through leaf surface, provide more shade, energy conservation and pollution mitigation,” said city forester Victor Cordova.

The elms and other trees are available through the NeighborWoods program that lets residents plant the trees on rights of ways or in parks.

“This lets us get more trees on our properties and we don’t have to maintain them,” Cordova said. “We can move on to other things.”

According to city ordinance, people can’t remove a tree from city property without a permit. The permit is free, but removing the tree has a price, depending on the size of the tree and the equipment used. That money is used to buy trees for NeighborWoods.

In 2005 and 2006, Parks gave out about 3,800 trees each year, Cordova said. Last year, it gave out 1,000. This year, he estimates it will give out 1,500.

Arboring strong feelings
Cordova is seeking volunteers to plant trees in medians throughout the city Jan. 31, when the city celebrates Arbor Day.

“This is one day, one week, one month, when trees are highlighted,” Cordova said. “It’s a chance to educate children.
That’s what this is really about.”

Cordova asks each volunteer to plant 10 trees. “The limiting factor on how many we can plant is the number of volunteers,” he said.

Three years ago, volunteers planted 1,200 trees at Diez Park. Two years ago, they planted 20,000 trees at Will Clayton, and last year they planted 3,000 on Shepherd.

The city will water the trees for two years. But it will save money on man hours, fuel and emissions because the city won’t have to mow those medians after the trees grow, Cordova said.

Parks gives away and plants only deciduous and pine trees because those give good leaf cover, Cordova said. In addition to the Arbor Day planting, the department plants about 10,000 trees a year.

In early October, the city announced a partnership to plant more than 1 million trees over the next five years.
Parks also organizes wildflower planting in tribute to Lady Bird Johnson in October.

Wild childs
The wildflowers, mostly bluebonnets but also some phlox, evening primrose, Indian paintbrush and others, grow throughout the winter and bloom in the spring.

Last year, volunteers planted about $25,000 worth of wildflower seeds in six sites during the inaugural Lady Bird Johnson Tribute Planting Project, said T.J. Marks, division manager of green space management. This year, Parks is planning to spread about $50,000 worth of seeds in “a handful of locations,” including Hobby airport and Memorial Drive.

Wildflowers have aesthetic, environmental and cultural benefits, Marks said.

“Wildflowers give us a sense of place,” he said. “When you see them, you really know you’re in Texas.”

The flowers also provide food for insects, bees and butterflies.
“It’s a little thing with a great wider affect,” Marks said.

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