Kootenai Health was presented with a Landscape of Excellence award at the recent televised CDA Parks & Recreation Commission meeting. The award was presented in recognition of the outstanding use and preservation of trees. Kootenai Health is located on Ironwood Drive at Hwy 95 in Coeur d’Alene.

Ironwood Drive was widened this year and originally it was thought that the impact would necessitate removal of a row of London planetrees along the north side of the street.

Through... a partnership effort between Kootenai Health, the Idaho Transportation Dept and the City of Coeur d’Alene, modifications were made to the site plans to limit impacts to tree roots in order to save these trees. This included Kootenai Health hiring Bartlett Tree Experts to expose and prune roots, the street contractor Cameron-Reilly being very cautious not to damage tree roots, relocating the sidewalk further away from the trees and repositioning a light pole that originally was to be replaced through the canopy of one of the trees, which would have required heavy pruning.