ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – A new City board in Escanaba met for the first time Tuesday morning.
The Tree Advisory Board was created to improve public understanding and community input surrounding tree maintenance. The board will also be involved in Escanaba’s Tree City USA membership, which requires the City to plant new trees each year.
“Escanaba’s been a Tree City USA for 26 years because we have a Department of Public Works that oversees the trees in Escanaba,” explained Public Works Director Kent Dubord. “That’s one of the requirements, to either have a department that oversees trees or to have a tree board, and now we have both.
The Tree Advisory Board is made up of representatives from various corners of the city. Board members include Escanaba residents, a forester, a City Council liaison, a Downtown Development Authority trustee, and representatives from Public Works, the Electric Department, and the Water Department.
According to Dubord, part of the board’s job is to balance the care of natural resources with the upkeep of public utilities.
“Trees are good for the environment, but at the same time, they can be uplifting roadways and sidewalks,” he said. “That’s why they need to be maintained and why there has to be regulations on the size of trees that we put in boulevards and City parks and limitations on what trees get planted. This board will allow people to voice their opinions—pros and cons—as to what trees are going where and then, more so, what’s getting maintained and how things are getting done in a timely fashion.”
For information on meetings of the Tree Advisory Board and other City committees, visit escanaba.org/meetings.
