$40,000 grant helps Annapolis replace old trees - Annapolis, MD

$40,000 grant helps Annapolis replace old trees - baltimoresun.com:
An environmental grant has funded tree planting in Annapolis as part of the city's effort to increase its canopy.

A grant from the Alliance of the Chesapeake Bay totaling $40,000 was used to plant 233 trees and 153 shrubs, including four willow oaks in the Historic District to replace older trees that were cut down in the summer because of safety concerns, city officials said.

The four willow oaks were planted at 183 and 193 Duke of Gloucester St. and at 122 and 123 Conduit St. Those trees replace a willow and northern red oak estimated at 70 to 80 years old, and a Siberian elm about 50 years old. They were each about 40 feet tall, but city arborist Jan Van Zutland examined the trees and declared them in bad health.

About two-thirds of the grant was used for planting trees and shrubs last fall. The remaining third of the grant was used recently to plant 42 trees and 24 shrubs throughout Annapolis, including the four replacement trees.

In 2006, the city entered into an agreement with the state Department of Natural Resources to increase the city's Urban Tree Canopy from an existing 42 percent to 50 percent by 2036. The city's UTC will be measured about every decade.