OTTAWA — Ottawa’s efforts to landscape and take care of its trees has once again earned the city special recognition for its efforts.

The National Arbor Day Foundation recently announced that the City of Ottawa has received its Tree City USA Growth Award for the fourth year.

Ottawa has been a Tree City USA Community since 1999.

The Tree City Growth Award recognizes environmental improvement and a higher level of tree care in a community as evidenced by additional or significant improvements to a community’s tree program during the past year.

Ottawa Tree Board chairman Brent Barron credited receiving the award to the city’s updating of its tree ordinance and its emerald ash borer management program.

The management program included an inventory of all trees on city property and rights-of-way, a management plan for the removal of dead and dying ash trees and for the treatment of a select group of trees.

Barron also noted the Tree Board worked in conjunction with the city’s “Ottawa is Blooming” effort to raise funds for tree plantings and landscape projects.

Some of the funds were used to replace six trees on Boyce Memorial Drive that had not survived the original planting by local Boy Scouts about four years ago.

The 100 trees planted for that project had about an 85 percent survival rate after four years, which Barron said is very good.

Anyone interested in making a donation to support tree planting efforts in the city may do so by sending a check payable to the Ottawa Tree Fund in care of City Hall, 301 West Madison Street, Ottawa, IL, 61350.

 

Article from Serving the Illinois Valley NewsTribune.