The City of Rhinelander will be planting more than triple the number of trees it usually does this year.
Rhinelander City Forester Tom Jerow says in past years the city would plant between zero and 30 trees in a year.
This year, the city plans to plant 100 trees.
It’s thanks in part to a $25,000 grant the city got from the Wisconsin DNR.
That amount will be matched by the city.
The grant money will also help the city create an inventory of its current trees.
Jerow says this will help with city planning and making sure the city is in a better position in the future.
“We look at planting a diverse forest because we don’t know what the next disease is going to be. We don’t want, like we did in the past, to plant all ash or elm. We want to plant diversity,” said Jerow.
Jerow says Rhinelander’s tree loss over the years is due to disease, pests, and construction.
“Trees are really, really important to the health of a community. They shade our homes. They cool our homes. They provide wildlife habitat. They clean the air we breathe and the water we drink. It’s really important that you have a well-managed urban forest,” said Jerow.
Beyond health benefits, Jerow says the trees also help the city’s infrastructure.
“Those trees shade our streets and provide our sidewalks with shade which is really important for pedestrians traffic, but also a tree-lined street that shades the pavement, the pavement last five to 10 years longer according to studies they’ve done,” said Jerow.
Because many of the road projects widened pavement, there are not as many places for the city to plant trees.
But many homeowners within the city have space in the front or side yards.
Part of the grant money the city received is being used to cover half the cost to homeowners of a bare-root tree.
Interested homeowners need to apply and get approval.
“It’s all about the right tree and the right place. You don’t want to plant a big huge tree under a utility line. You don’t want to plant it on top of your sewer line from your home. We look at that. We also look at the size of and dimension of the spot you have, but we have a tree that would fit just about any size spot in the front yard,” said Jerow.
You can pick up an application from Rhinelander City Hall or contact Jerow for information at (715) 401-1578 or tjerow@gmail.com.
The deadline for ordering a tree is April 21st.
