Joplin's tree inventory being updated
May 21—Trees in some Joplin parks are being inventoried and examined for damage, with funding for the work coming from a community forestry grant from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Contractors currently are taking inventory of the types, sizes and conditions of trees in nine city parks. The structural condition of the trees is being assessed to determine if there is damage or disease that could result in branches or the trees breaking or falling.
The updated information will be used to make decisions about the care of the trees.
"The city of Joplin has partnered with MDC throughout the years on various projects," said Paul Bloomberg, parks and recreation director. "They bring great resources to us and our community. We appreciate all that they do to help us with our urban forests."
The Missouri Department of Conservation's Community Conservation Program promotes sustainable development practices of trees and the establishment of natural resource conservation practices in cities and developing areas.
A specific grant amount was not awarded. Instead, the cost of the contractors to conduct the inventory will be reimbursed, a city spokesman said.
The city has planted an estimated 17,000 trees after losses sustained in the 2011 tornado.
An inventory done in 2017 documented and assessed about 6,000 trees in public rights of way.
Foresters for the conservation department said then most of the trees destroyed in the tornado were on private land. The inventory was aimed at providing a count of the number of trees in public areas as well as recording their conditions. That would serve as a guide to what types of trees should be planted in the future.
Each tree was recorded for its size, species, the GPS coordinates of its physical location, and a hazard assessment, which notes items such as dead limbs, poor structure, the potential failure of a tree and widow-makers (broken limbs in upper branches).
In 2018, a $10,000 Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance grant was awarded to Joplin to prune 1,100 trees in Dover Hill, Campbell Parkway, Landreth, McIndoe, McClelland, Iron Gates, Leonard and Parr Hill parks.
More than 700 young trees were pruned in 2019. A $10,000 TRIM grant funded the work in the Joplin Athletic Complex, Schifferdecker Park, Ewert Park, Landreth Park, Joe Becker Stadium, Mercy Park, Garvin Park, and 26th to 27th Street along Joplin, Wall, and Pearl avenues.
Joplin received a $3,055 grant in 2020 to provide forestry training and education for some city staff and information for the public. Grant funding allowed four staff members to attend educational seminars at a forestry conference on topics such as urban forest management, work safety and arboriculture growth.
A brochure display case with information about the benefits of trees to the environment, mulching information, and tree selection and care were also purchased with the grant funds for public education.
In 2021, the city was awarded two grants totaling $21,000 for assistance with pruning younger trees in several parks. Pruning helps the tree grow into a stronger structure, reducing the chances for problems that could lead to safety issues or early removal.
That work involved 509 trees in Cunningham and Mercy parks.
In addition, a Community Conservation Grant of $11,000 paid to prune trees in Parr Hill and McIndoe parks and along Campbell Parkway.
