As Arbor Day approaches on April 19, the City of Centralia has a plethora of tree-related projects underway and planned for the future in 2025.
Amy Buckler, deputy city manager and parks director, presented an update on the list of projects at Tuesday’s city council meeting and highlighted how the city is utilizing $250,000 in Washington state Department of Natural Resources grants.
Last year, the city conducted a hazard tree assessment, where a professional forester identified 30 trees in Borst Park and Arboretum as dead or dying. Four trees have already been removed, nine more will be removed soon, and 17 trees are at a lower hazard risk but will still be removed by staff over the next year.
As part of the hazard tree assessment, the forester informed the city that many vehicles park under the trees along South Loop Road, but they’re parking in the root protection zone, which is damaging the roots.
“We see this a lot at the south part of South Loop Road by the shelters, and, unfortunately, he told us that the cars are parking in the root protection zone of the trees, which is causing soil compaction, which damages or kills the roots that are critical to the trees’ survival,” Buckler said. “This has caused many of the trees that are along South Loop Road to be among the dead or dying.”
Buckler added that the city will cordon off these areas from parking this summer in order to protect the trees.
The grant is also funding improvements to the 5.5-acre arboretum at Borst Park. Staff is updating its tree identification map of the over 250 trees and more than 150 different species in the arboretum. The city is working with Borst Arboretum Botanical Society volunteers to create and install identification signs for every tree that says its common name and Latin name. A map will be posted in the arboretum and brochures will be available. Buckler said this work will be completed in June.
“We’ll have some brochures to help people celebrate this really unique attribute that we have in Centralia,” Buckler said. “It’s not very common for a city of our size to have an arboretum like this. It’s very special.”
City staff will plant 15 to 20 new trees in the arboretum this spring, and multiple Arbor Day events are planned for April. They are inviting volunteers to help plant 90 trees at Riverside and Bridge Street parks from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 19. Planters will install 60 trees at the Bridge Street park and 30 at Riverside.
Seminary Hill will also host its own Arbor Day planting event from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 26.
