Tree Maintenance and Reforestation Project Spearheaded by CWE North SBD

The following post was just published in the November 2023 issue of the CWEA Griffin. To view the entire issue, click here.

Photo shows trees on Taylor at McPherson

At a recent CWE North Special Business District meeting, commissioners voted to allocate funds to underwrite an extensive tree maintenance and reforestation project, including trimming, selective removal of trees and stumps, and planting 51 new trees on sections of Maryland, McPherson and Westminster Place.

Over the past year the CWE North SBD has also underwritten similar tree and stump removal, tree trimming and planting of new trees on Lenox Place and Pershing Place.

The care of trees in the public realm is the responsibility of the City of St. Louis Forestry Division. Those on the private streets—Pershing, Lenox, and Hortense—are the responsibility of the homeowners or the block associations.

On October 10, CWE North SBD Commissioners toured the North SBD District (Kingshighway to Taylor; Lindell to Washington/Olive) with City Forestry Division Commissioner Alan Jankowski and Arborist Russel Younker to identify which trees in the public realm needed attention, and where and what species of trees should be planted. Forestry recommended planting a variety of trees including Oak, Serviceberry, Black Gum, Zelkova, Armstrong Maples, Redbud, Pioneer and Lace Bark Elm.

The plan is to add 14 new trees on the 45-4600 blocks of Maryland, 27 trees on the 45-4900 blocks of McPherson, 8 trees on the 45-4600 blocks of Westminster, and 2 on Taylor between Maryland and Lindell. The SBD will fund the purchase of the trees at a cost of $173.50 each, and Forestry personnel will plant them.

Since the Forestry Division budget doesn’t include sufficient resources for routine maintenance work, Jankowski expressed gratitude that the CWE North SBD is collaborating with Forestry and taking on this important beautification and safety work, which begins this fall and continues into 2024. 

The CWE North SBD, like the other contiguous SBDs in the greater CWE area, derives its funding from a real estate surtax on each taxable parcel of real property within the district. While details of revenue and priorities vary, the principal objectives of the districts include a focus on safety and security, including contributions to funding the operations of the Neighborhood Security Initiative (NSI), investment in infrastructure improvements and enhancements such as pedestrian-scale lighting, beautification initiatives, and the like.