CDA receives donation of tree trimming, community benefit

That’s why Roberge, owner of Specialty Tree Service, last week donated the company’s time to prune a number of trees within the center median along Government Way by the cemetery.

“I want to give back and support our community,” Roberge said.

(Left: Ken Roberge of Specialty Tree Service (left) and Nick Goodwin with the City of Coeur d’Alene Parks & Recreation Department pose for a photo while inspecting a large catalpa tree along Government Way.)

The work was done as a partnership between the tree service and the Parks & Recreation Department. Roberge met with the city’s urban forestry coordinator and another city arborist to walk the area and prioritize a work plan. The tree service used their equipment and staff for the pruning and the Parks & Recreation Department crew assisted with ground work and clearing debris.

Street trees provide many environmental, economic and social benefits to our community. Accomplishing tree maintenance tasks is necessary to having healthy, structurally sound, and well-maintained trees.  The main focus of the recent pruning was for form and structure, to develop good branch spacing, and to eliminate any weakly attached or dead branches.

This is the second time Roberge has offered his services to prune the trees along the Government Way corridor, doing a similar volunteer project in 2014. In the future, he hopes to continue these efforts and encourage other tree services to take part pruning trees throughout the community.

“I’d like to help care for the trees to preserve what we have now, so others can enjoy them also in the future,” he said.

The City has set up a cost-share assistance program to help with the care and maintenance of public trees when a City-licensed tree service is hired to the work. These companies are knowledgeable, insured, trained and equipped to provide proper care. Improper pruning can create lasting damage, shorten the tree’s life and can also create hazards.

Permits are required to prune, remove or plant trees in the public right-of-ways to ensure proper care and limit unnecessary tree removal. Topping or reducing tree size is not allowed for street trees as it can lead to poor structure and even create hazards.

For more information about this project, tree care or public street trees contact the Urban Forestry Division of the Parks & Recreation Department at (208) 769-2266 or visit www.cdaid.org/parks.