NESNA

Suzie Nakasian provided us this info on shade trees for Northfield.  Ed

Word On the Street … City of Northfield to resume its shade tree replacement program on April 6.

To encourage the planting of shade trees on local street boulevards, the City of Northfield will resume its popular Shade Tree Replacement program on April 6.

This year’s program will offer 102 trees of 8 – 10 ft. (typical trunk diameter of 1- ¼ inches) from nine different species (see list below). Trees are offered for sale to residential property owners only, at a discounted price that includes the locating of utility lines, and planting (and a first watering) of trees by the City Street Department crews.

Residential property owners can order trees in person at the City’s Maintenance Facility (1710 Riverview Drive) Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. beginning Monday, April 6 and ending on Friday April 17 (the Maintenance Facility is located to the west of Hwy 3 as you head south from downtown Northfield, turn right at Perkins Restaurant, the facility will be ahead on your right.)

The following inventory of 15 gallon size trees will be available for order on a first-come first-served basis and must be ordered in person:

20 River Birch-single stem $59.00

20 Blue Beech $59.00

8 Harvest Gold Crab $59.00

8 Prairie Rose Crab $79.00

5 Prospector Elm $69.00

5 Vanguard Elm $69.00

6 Greenspire Linden $59.00

10 Celebration Maple $69.00

20 Autumn Blaze Maple $59.00 (Autumn Blaze in 7 gallon size only)

Payment must be made (cash or local check) at the time of placing your order. Home owners may elect to sign a “Waiver of Trespass” to allow City crews to plant the tree(s), or they can elect to plant the tree(s) themselves. In the latter option, the City will deliver the tree(s) but it will be the homeowner’s responsibility to dig the hole and plant the tree(s) (no discount is offered for this option). Trees will be delivered and planted by the City crews from May 4 – 8 weather and delivery permitting.

To allow greater flexibility in identifying suitable planting locations for trees in relation to utility lines, the program now allows the planting of trees on the front yards of residential properties (defined as “any portion of the front yard from the front house line extension to the Street”) as well as on street boulevards. Homeowners are responsible for staking out the appropriate site prior to the delivery of trees; all selected locations will be subject to the approval of City staff.

Once the tree(s) are planted, property owners will need to stake and water the trees as necessary to give them a good start (new trees should be given a good slow soaking of water daily during the first week – add water until water is visible on surface – 3 times per week during the following two weeks, and weekly there after during the first growing season).

Northfield’s tree lined streets are a valued feature of the City’s neighborhoods, and trees also play an important part in removing CO2 from the atmosphere and reducing urban heat island effect. So help beautify Northfield’s boulevards, and do the Earth a favor – by purchasing trees for the front of your residential property through Northrield’s City’s Shade Tree Program.

For more information contact the City Maintenance Facility at 645-3050 (8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday – Friday) ; go to: http://www.ci.northfield.mn.us/cityservices/outsideyourhome/trees or contact Suzie Nakasian, Northfield Environmental Quality Commission and a NESNA Board member, 645-5652.

Thank you!