Title
Resolution to Accept and Appropriate a USDA Forest Service Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grant ($50,000.00) (8 Votes Required)
Memorandum
The City of Ann Arbor has been notified by the USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area that the City has been awarded a $50,000.00 grant to implement a targeted tree maintenance program to improve water quality and improve/enhance the urban and community forest.
One of the most important benefits trees provide to urban environments is the positive contribution they make to improving water quality. Urban trees reduce the quantity and improve the quality of stormwater runoff through interception, infiltration, and evapotranspiration. The City of Ann Arbor manages an urban forest of over 40,000 street trees and 6600 park trees in mowed areas. These trees intercept over 65 million gallons of stormwater annually and remove pollutants, such as fertilizer, oils, and pesticides, before they can enter local water bodies (USDA Forest Service i-Tree Streets Analysis of Ann Arbor, 2009).
The goal of the program is to initiate a pruning program targeted at the City’s largest street trees (>20” diameter at breast height) to improve their condition and maximize their water quality benefits. Street trees selected for pruning through this grant (a minimum of 100) provide the greatest water quality benefits, however they require immediate pruning to maintain these benefits; without attention, they are headed for premature decline and death. It is estimated that the trees targeted for pruning intercept over 2.4 million gallons of stormwater annually. Improving their condition and increasing their life expectancy will ensure that this large volume of stormwater and nonpoint source pollution will remain out of Great Lakes Watershed helping to improve regional water quality.
This grant will fund both in-house Forestry staff and contractors to undertake the tree pruning program.
Matching funds are not required for this gr...
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