A representative from the Kansas Forest Service was present at Monday evening’s Hiawatha City Commission meeting, and had some suggestions for sweeping change on the city’s tree population.
Kim Bomberger inventoried and rated the trees along Hiawatha’s city streets, and found that 37percent of the city’s trees are sugar maples, and 16 percent are silver maples, while it is suggested that one species of tree make up no more than ten percent of any city’s tree population. Bomberger suggested planting no more maples outside of strategic and highly visible areas, to prevent the opportunity for disease or infestation from destroying a large percentage of trees at one time. She also suggested that the city take back management on the trees from homeowners, annual pruning, and proactively removing ash trees that are in poor condition to stay ahead of the ash bore problem that is spreading throughout the state.
(Read more: Hiawatha World Online)