At their most recent meeting in December, the Perry City Council approved a scope of work which will help keep track of trees.

At the December 20th meeting, the Council approved an agreement with Davey Resource Group which City Administrator Sven Peterson says will help them take an inventory of the trees in Perry and provide urban forestry services. 

“This scope of work includes taking an inventory of every tree in our public right of ways and our parks. So, they will give us all of the species, the size, the condition, all data like that so that we are able to make decisions on how many trees do we have, how do we approach our ash tree situation.”

Peterson tells Raccoon Valley Radio the work will also allow the City to compare what the tree canopy looked like pre-derecho from August of 2020 to what the tree canopy looks like now. Peterson says the immediate need for the inventory is to deal with Emerald ash borer in ash trees. 

“Already Parks (and Rec) and Public Works have started taking out some ash trees in parks and right of ways and that will continue through this winter, all through next summer.”

Peterson says it’s also important for the City to be focusing on how to replace the trees that get removed, as well as the diversity of the trees.