After noticing the trees in their neighborhoods disappearing, two local tree-planting advocates are leading a project to help maintain Lincoln’s canopy.
Kendall Weyers, an employee of the Nebraska Forest Service with a background in community forestry, and Mark Wilson, a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a longtime tree-planting volunteer and advocate, are leading the project. They are working with the Near South and Irvingdale neighborhood associations, which recently received a grant of up to $19,000 to plant 90 to 100 new trees in those neighborhoods.
Weyers and Wilson are residents of the Irvingdale and Near South neighborhoods, respectively, and are also both members of Lincoln’s Community Forestry Advisory Board.
The project is part of the Nebraska Emerald Ash Borer Recovery program, which is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Peter Kiewit Foundation. The project is also a partnership with the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department.
Weyers and Wilson are starting with a tree-planting demonstration Saturday to show people how to correctly plant a tree and raise awareness of the benefits of trees and the problems contributing to their decline.
“We just want to help people understand what the correct way to plant a tree is, and while we’re doing that, we’ll also talk about how to care for the tree after it’s planted,” Weyers said.
Wilson said many people don’t consider all of the factors that go into making sure a tree is planted correctly.
“It's not just about putting the tree in the ground,” he said. “How you properly dig a hole, how you prepare a tree … and care for it afterwards, those can all have huge effects on the viability of the tree.”
Following the demonstration, Weyers and Wilson are planning to plant 90 to 100 “street trees” in the city right-of-way between the sidewalk and the street throughout the two neighborhoods. Wilson said they would usually have volunteers plant trees, but to reduce contact during the coronavirus pandemic, they are working with Great Plains Nursery to do much of the planting.
“We've been eagerly planning and working with the city to identify sites to put these trees in,” Wilson said. “And hopefully fill in some of the gaps and help Lincoln’s community forest grow and become more resilient, and hopefully improve the lives of people.”
Weyers said many of the trees in Lincoln’s older neighborhoods are past their prime and in decline. The emerald ash borer, Dutch elm disease and storm damage have also threatened trees in recent years.
This year alone, Weyers said he’s seen nine street-lining trees within a few blocks of his home come down, none of which have been replaced. He said many residents may not notice the problem, but he and Wilson’s backgrounds lead them to pay closer attention to the situation.
“We're both a little bit more aware of it than the average resident,” he said. “Unless it's the tree in your front yard, a lot of people just don't even notice it, but when you get out and you look at the community and you notice these things here, it's pretty alarming how many trees are lost.”
Trees provide a wide variety of benefits, Weyers said, including reducing energy costs, increasing property values, moderating temperatures, reducing erosion and providing psychological and physical health benefits.
“There are so many different benefits,” he said. “It’s not just a single obvious benefit; it’s a bunch of smaller, subtle ones that really add up to make the trees an essential, yet often underappreciated, part of the city’s infrastructure.”
Lincoln residents love their trees, Wilson said, but it will take passionate individuals committed to planting trees and encouraging others to do the same to overcome the current decline in tree cover.
“We hope that people care enough to advocate for tree planting, to do their own where they can and to talk to neighbors and friends and family about getting involved in tree planting,” he said. “Because this isn't a problem that’s just going to take care of itself.”
Mark Wilson (left) and Kendall Weyers pose for a photo with a tree planted seven years ago. The two have been working together to plant trees around the Near South and Irvingdale neighborhoods.