Why wasn’t the OAK planted in Yelm? The Yelm City Plan should NOW include Thurston County’s Conservation Ordinance.
YELM TREE ADVISORY BOARD
The City of Yelm is dedicated to protecting and enhancing its urban forest. In 1996 the City of Yelm created the Yelm Tree Advisory Board (YTAB). The Board performed a street tree inventory and evaluation, and created an ordinance for the protection of trees and vegetation in the City, and conservation during development. The City of Yelm has been a Tree City USA since 1996, and has been awarded the Arbor Day Growth Award for the years 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005. The Tree Board also created the City of Yelm 5-Year Urban Forestry Strategic Plan, for 1998 – 2002. The plan was updated for another 5 years, resulting in the 5-Year Urban Forestry Strategic Plan for 2004-2008. The plan has been an invaluable tool for the City and the YTAB, insuring the care and maintenance of City trees, keeping the Tree Board active in the community, raising awareness of the importance of an urban forest, and seeking monetary support.
The Yelm Tree Advisory Board meets the last monday of every other month at 4:00 P.M. at the Yelm City Hall.
City of Yelm Tree Advisory Board Mission Statement
The Yelm Tree Board is empowered to:
Contribute to and maintain a comprehensive community tree management program for the care and establishment of trees on public property;
Promote proper tree maintenance;
Advocate no net loss of the community’s urban forestry canopy;
Make recommendations to the City Council concerning ordinances, rules, and regulations that pertain to trees on public and private property that best serve the interest of the community;
Obtain public testimony and/or input as deemed necessary;
Promote public education about trees;
Develop innovative and joint funding for an urban forestry program from a variety of sources.
Current Yelm Tree Advisory Board members are:
Shawn Batstone
Kristin Blalack
Glen Cunningham
John Graver
Ashley Hetzel
Tim Peterson
Rick Roberts
Kevin McFarland, City Forester
Nisha Box, Assistant Planner
TREE PROGRAM
ADOPT-A-TREE
Adopt-A-Tree is the Yelm Tree Advisory Board’s (YTAB) fund raising campaign. The YTAB is working closely with the City of Yelm to raise funds to help maintain and improve Yelm’s urban forest.
What is an Urban Forest?
The land in and around a community, occupied or potentially occupied by trees, is an urban forest. This land includes parks, public planting strips, and trees on private property. In general, the urban forest is made up of all the trees in a community.
A Separate Fund
All the money raised through the Adopt-A-Tree program goes into a special fund, dedicated solely to urban forestry programs in Yelm. 100% of all donations will go to such activities as the purchase of trees, plantings, corrective pruning, and public education on the proper care and maintenance of trees.
Recognizing Your Contribution
The City of Yelm and the YTAB know the importance of Citizen and Business Community support in making Yelm a livable community. To thank you for your support, Adopt-A-Tree donors will be invited to the annual Arbor Day Celebration, hosted by the City and the YTAB, where donors will be recognized with a Certificate of Appreciation.
A list of donors will also be published in the Nisqually Valley News (approx. 4,000 circulation.)
How to Donate
For more information on donating to the Yelm Adopt-A-Tree / Memorial Tree program, contact Yelm City Hall, 105 Yelm Avenue West/PO Box 479, Yelm WA 98597, 360-458-3835. Your donation is tax deductible and you will be given a receipt.
Note: Checks and money orders can be mailed or submitted at City Hall. Cash donations may only be accepted at City Hall.
MEMORIAL TREE PROGRAM
Trees provide community benefits, and are a source of beauty as we go about our daily lives. They also provide a living link to our past.
Special People or Occasions
The Memorial Tree Program encourages tree donations to honor, memorialize, or celebrate a special person, place, or event. Examples include:
Births
Celebrate a special day
Weddings
Anniversaries
Memorials
New Buildings
Congratulations
Thank You
Graduations
Just Because
Reunions
Arbor Day
Special Achievements
For the Beauty of…
Location
Memorial Trees will be planted on City of Yelm property, including available spaces in parks, rights-of-way, or near City buildings. The City Forester will consult with City departments, to determine the best site for posterity.
Maintenance and Guarantee
Your donation covers all costs for planting and aftercare. Your tree will come under the regular care of the city staff. The City will provide mulching, watering, staking, pruning and other maintenance as needed. Trees which fail to thrive for any reason within five years of planting will be replaced.
Recognizing Your Contribution
All donations will be entered in Yelm’s Memorial Tree Register, kept at City Hall. This will record, for future generations, the person or event being celebrated, the date of the donation, and the donor. All donors will also receive a Memorial Tree Recognition Certificate.
Memorial Tree donations are accepted any time of the year, and a tree will be planted during the appropriate planting season. Your contribution of $50 or more, will cover the cost to plant and care for a tree normally at least 1.50 inches in diameter. In addition, donations of any amount may be earmarked for future tree projects. Donations are tax-deductible; please consult your tax advisor.
Your Memorial Tree will serve as a long term living memory to the past, growing in stature and beauty with each passing year, and improving our quality of life. There is no better investment in our surroundings.
NEIGHBORHOOD TREE GRANT PROGRAM
Imagine the City of Yelm as a city where every street is lined with trees. Since 2001, the Yelm Tree Advisory Board has offered free trees to citizens and neighborhoods within the City Limits of Yelm, who would like to beautify their streets with trees. Trees soften the hard edges of a city landscape, beautify neighborhoods, and clean the air of pollutants. Planting trees now ensures our children a greener city in the future. In its short lifespan, the Neighborhood Tree Grant Program has already provided 63 trees in 3 neighborhoods, at no cost to the recipients.
General Application Requirements:
Area for planting must be in City of Yelm, City-owned right-of-way, in the planting strips along the street, or the entrance into a development.
Streets must have a lack of trees, or a need for more.
Recipients are to sign a pledge and maintenance agreement to ensure proper care. A spring maintenance training may be required.
Applications must be submitted to the City of Yelm, Community Development Department.
Yes, it’s that easy!
As trees need to be planted in the Fall, newspaper articles and requests to submit applications for trees begin to appear in the Nisqually Valley News, and the Hawthorn Herald, around September and/or October. Once you see the notices and/or ads to apply, you should talk to your neighbors, distribute flyers, or make phone calls to find out how many people would like to beautify their streets with trees. Then submit an application.
Once applications are submitted, the Tree Board will schedule an inspection of all potential sites. They will then identify those neighborhoods that are to receive trees. Planting locations must be approved by the City of Yelm, and the Yelm Tree Board. The City will notify you of any changes to your request. You will receive an award letter from the Yelm Tree Advisory Board if you qualify to receive trees. Trees will be delivered to your site and City staff and Tree Board Members will be there to help plant the tree(s)! Neighborhood volunteers, or property owners are responsible for watering and maintaining the trees. This contribution is your “match” to the project.
YELM AVENUE HAWTHORNS
The YTAB and the City of Yelm have identified the Hawthorn Trees gracing Yelm Avenue as the first area to benefit from funds raised by the Adopt-A-Tree program. Originally planted in 1936, these trees have long been an important part of the City. Unfortunately, many of the Yelm Avenue Hawthorns are in poor health, suffering from the ill effects of improper pruning and/or disease. The Hawthorns will need special care over the next few years to bring them back to health. In addition, some trees will need to be removed and replaced with more resilient strains of Hawthorns.
Greenhouse
YELM TREE NURSERY & GREENHOUSE
The City of Yelm’s Tree Nursery and Greenhouse is a 4500 square foot area, located on the southwest corner of the Public Works Facility site. The construction of the nursery was a one-year special project, funded by a grant from the Department of Natural Resources under the Urban & Community Forestry Program, and contributions from the City of Yelm in 1999-2000. Horticulture and agriculture students from Yelm High School worked with City staff and other community members to install a watering system and then set young trees in the nursery to gain size and strength before being set out in plantings. Since that time, the nursery has been the home of many of the trees used in our Neighborhood Tree Grant Program, as well as many trees planted in our City parks and public rights-of-way.
I just found out today that Mr. Klein blogged me back in December 2010. Thank you, Mr. Klein.
