web powered by 
Updated 11:31pm - Mar 18, 2010
Home 
News Local News 'A sense of pride'
'A sense of pride'
City plants 160 trees around town In an area known for its giant trees and vast tracts of forested lands, there’s a noticeable lack of arboreal culture in Crescent City.To change this perception and add to the scenic landscape, Crescent City workers are planting 160 trees in and around town. “I’m trying to start from Front Street and go all the way to the end of city limits,” Crescent City Parks Superintendent Jerry Sedrick said as his workers planted a tree in front of the Cultural Center. Starting at Beachfront Park and heading inland, the canopy recedes quickly. Many of the tree wells built into the sidewalks are barren and some contain trees that are dying or damaged. It’s Sedrick’s goal to replace the old trees with new and fill the empty wells, but he won’t be able to do that with the 160 trees he has now — which comprise a combination of Monterey cypress, redwood, ginkgo, red maple, and flowering plum and cherry — that are mainly going around the new Harbor Trail parking lot, in Beachfront Park and throughout downtown.  City worker Aaron King plants a tree along Front Street near the Cultural Center on Wednesday. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson The trees going in the ground this week came from part of a $27,000-plus grant from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s urban forestry program. Some of this funding was used to plant 60 trees in the fall of 2007 in Beachfront Park with the help of volunteers from Home Depot. Another significant portion of the money was used to buy the 160 trees for this round of planting. But due to California’s budget crisis, the state froze all spending on the tree grant the day the trees were delivered to Crescent City. “The grant, like many other state grants, had just happened to be suspended,” Crescent City Planner Will Caplinger said. “The city had to cover the cost of the trees, which was pretty close to $6,000.” With the approval of City Manager Michael Young, the city was able to use some money from the general fund to cover the costs, which will eventually come back to the city, Caplinger said, when the budget situation is cleared up. Future grants are also possible, he added, and would be contingent upon the success of fulfilling the requirements of the current grant. “You get trees in and people start to believe. It instills a sense of pride in the community,” Caplinger said. “That gives a very distinct message to residents and visitors alike that we do take care of our environment and our resources.” |
