Kimball City Council gives Tree Board permission to apply for grant

KIMBALL -- The city council approved Tuesday evening for the Tree Board to apply for a grant that would allow the city to take care of problematic trees in the community. 

The State of Nebraska was awarded $10 million for the Urban & Community Forestry Federal Tree Grant, and the last batch of funding is open for applications through the end of March.

“This is unprecedented money - No. 1 it is no match, so that’s huge, and No. 2 it can be used on private property and tree removal,” said Chrissy Land, Western Community Forrester. “This is really an opportunity of a lifetime, and it would be silly to not go after it. We have a lot of big, dead, scary trees in our small Nebraska communities, and we also have a lot of opportunity to plant more trees.” 

The grant is to be used to remove problematic trees that are dead, dying, or have had storm damage. It can be used to have a new tree planted, either in the same location or a new location if the original spot is not feasible to successfully grow a new tree. 

“We try to put the tree back as close as possible, but we want our trees to go in places they are going to be cared for,” Land said. “All new trees are required to be cared for at a minimum of three years for their establishment period.” 

The city needs to determine which blocks of trees they want to focus on, and what the estimated cost is for tree removal, planting new trees, tree pruning, or a combination of the three. 

“If you do removal, it is a requirement to plant a tree back 1:1 minimum ratio,” Land said. “Some communities have used this grant to only focus on public properties, and others have extended it out to focus on some of their street trees that are a potential harm to the public.” 

Should the city be awarded grant money, the city officials would then need do a thorough survey to determine the priority of trees that they need to focus on. 

“It’s open for the city to decide whether to use the grant for public property or private property – anything that is not on your public property, you are required to have the private property owner sign a release of liability,” Land said. 

She adds that they suggest the city enter into a contract with the landowner where they agree to the city being on their property to work on the tree, remove it, plant a new one, and agree to care for the tree. 

The grant will also cover administration fees, marketing fees, and cost of small equipment needed for general tree care including chainsaws, shovels, T-Posts, and mulch. 

In situations where it is appropriate, the grant will cover small costs of irrigation. 

“If you have a large row of trees put in at the ballfields and you need to put a drip irrigation to keep those trees alive and make sure they’re going to stay watered, the grant would cover an expense like that,” Landsaid. 

She added that the city would not get the grant money ahead of time; they will need to pay the money upfront, then it would be reimbursed. 

If the city is awarded the grant, they can expect to be notified in May and start work as early as August after the paperwork is finalized. 

The Tree Board will be holding a special meeting March 11 at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chambers to discuss the next steps in the application process.