BELLOWS FALLS — Trees on public sites and public streets will be inventoried in Bellows Falls in July, according to Ellen Howard, Chair of the Rockingham Tree Committee.
Staff from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation will conduct the inventory. Howard said that Forest Division staff will be out on the streets and municipal properties with tablets checking on the trees between the sidewalks and roads, and also at public properties such as the playgrounds, the Fire-Police Facility and parking lots.
The data gathering is part of a grant the Tree Committee obtained from Vermont Forest, Parks, and Recreation which includes training about tree care, and developing maintenance plans.
According to Howard, an inventory was done about 15 years ago, and it is time to update it. The data will provide information on condition and pruning needs. “We want to make sure folks know why these people will be around the community and what they are doing,” Howard said.
Depending on the hours available, the inventory may extend to the Rockingham Meeting House and Saxtons River Village. In addition, the Tree Committee received a tree planting grant from Forest, Parks, and Recreation.
This is a 50 percent match and will help the Committee plant replacement trees on Green and South streets. These trees will be planted in the fall, or in the spring of 2016. In the past, the Committee has planted trees on Henry Street Extension, the Rockingham Meeting House, the Village Playground, and other streets. The inventory grant does not require any match.