Sandpoint earns 'Tree City' honors

SANDPOINT — The community’s greener, leafier inhabitants have impressed the folks at Tree City USA another year in a row.

The nationwide organization recently awarded Sandpoint its Tree City designation in recognition of its nature-friendly approaches. Mayor Marsha Ogilvie will make the moment official with a proclamation today 9 a.m. at Lakeview Park. Next door at the Bonner County History Museum, the Native Plant Society is also holding a plant sale.

In order to qualify for the honor, cities across the states have to meet four qualifications. First, a town must have an established tree committee. Second, it must have a tree care ordinance on the books. Third, an urban forestry program with a budget equal or greater to $2 per capita must exist. Finally, the town must celebrate an annual Arbor Day event.   

According to urban forester Stephen Drinkard, Sandpoint has met all four qualifications for many years now. The tree committee, tree care ordinance and Arbor Day celebration are local staples, while the urban forestry budget sits at $18,150, a couple thousand dollars above the minimum requirement.

“This is probably the 14th or 15th year Sandpoint has been awarded the Tree City USA designation,” Drinkard said. “Basically, it recognizes that the cities that earn it value the trees in their environment.”

Urban forestry program officials are capitalizing on that strong history with several exciting programs. One such initiative is a electronic inventory of the city’s many right-of-way trees. Altogether, Sandpoint has 3,800 trees in the public space — not counting another 1,000 in parks. The inventory database helps the city organize some of its trees and keep tabs on factors like species and condition.

The city also runs the NeighborWood program, which beautifies local residences with trees courtesy of the city. Interested residents can get involved simply by calling 255-1443.

“If you’re willing to take care of a tree for two or three years, we’ll come over and plant it,” Drinkard said.

The goal is to increase the the canopy coverage in Sandpoint, an act that just might do more than beautify the city. Drinkard said studies have linked increased canopy coverage to local economic prosperity, so there’s no telling what benefits our local trees could bring.