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Arbor Day Comes To Rhinelander As Part Of Streetscape

Kevin Boneske-StarJournalNow.com

National Arbor Day is always celebrated on the last Friday in April, but for the city of Rhinelander, October 25 was Arbor Day as proclaimed by Mayor Dick Johns...

"....the city of Rhinelander has long recognized the importance of trees, the quality of our lives and the environment..."

Crews were installing trees in front of City Hall on Stevens Street, part of the replanting effort as this year's portion of the downtown Streetscape project is nearing an end. DNR Regional Forestry Coordinator Don Kissinger says this is the third year for Rhinelander to be involved in Tree City USA a program designed to support urban trees.

He says the city received a DNR grant for tree planting....

"....Wisconsin has 195 tree cities. We're second in the nation for that award and hopefully next year in and hopefully when communities get recognized for 2015 we'll have over 200 communities...."

Kissinger says Rhinelander took care of it's trees, and says around 12 percent of the trees are ash trees, now threatened by Emerald Ash Borer. Parks, Buildings and Grounds Director Gunder Paulsen says the new trees going in will be from a variety of species, in the hope that an outbreak of a particular disease or insect can't wipe them all out...

"....back in the day they planted all elms downtown and that went sour when the Dutch Elm Disease came, then, unfortunately, most of them got replanted by ash trees...."

Paulsen says other trees in the city have been found with Emerald Ash Borer. The Rhinelander city websitehas more on the Emerald Ash Borer Treatment plan.

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