Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Why are some trees in Ned Houk and Hillcrest parks marked with an “X?”
The trees are marked because they have been deemed as “dead, aging and diseased” according to a new release issued Tuesday from Clovis City Manager Justin Howalt.
“The City of Clovis Parks and Recreation Department is proactively addressing the health of the park network by initiating an inventory of dead, aging, and diseased trees,” the release states.
In recent weeks, Parks and Recreation Department personnel, in collaboration with a marking crew, placed X on some trees in Clovis city parks.
“This marking process allows the City’s geographic information system technician to find and measure the caliper of each tree. The collected data will serve as the foundation for an urban forestry plan,” according to the news release.
The data will be used to come up with a comprehensive urban forestry plan.
Howalt notes the city commission has allocated $20,000 for the planting of new trees.
The news release notes Parks and Recreation Director Russell Hooper has been actively engaging with the New Mexico Urban Forestry Division to explore funding opportunities and gain insights into the overall health of the identified trees.
“The presence of orange Xs on trees doesn’t necessarily mean they will be cut down. We are still in the identification and mapping phase of this plan,” Hooper said in the news release.
Hooper added the goal is to make informed decisions that balance preservation with the need for renewal.
According to the news release the majority of the trees are Siberian elm trees, known for a life expectancy of around 60 years on the North American Great Plains.
The news release reports historical photos of Hillcrest Park and surrounding neighborhoods indicate that these trees were planted before 1960.
Howalt reports in recent years the city has invested in trimming efforts to enhance the health and longevity of these trees.
According to the release, challenges have come up, with the elm trees becoming infested and damaged by elm leaf beetles in the past two summers.
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