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Show Director of parks thinks shade tree commission needed CEDAR CITY - Many of Cedar City's shade trees are diseased, improperly located and too few in number; and at least one person thinks something should be done. Parks and Cemetery Director Glenn Spencer would like to see a shade tree commission formed of five to seven people of different backgrounds and interests to help encourage and organize the planting of trees both off city and residential properties. "I started to get interested in-terested in trees and the importance of them several years ago. I don't like to see all the work someone puts in and then see it all go down," Spencer said. Spencer and Utah State Forester Ron Larson studied the tree situation and found that Cedar City is 56 percent understocked. un-derstocked. Although there are over 1,700 street trees of 34 different tree species, the potential exists for over 2,000 more. Green ash comprises com-prises 36 percent of the existing trees. According to Spencer, most cities presently have shade tree com missions. Cedar City has a membership to the Utah Association of Shade Tree Commission, entitling a representative to go the twice yearly meetings. A shade tree commission, com-mission, Spencer feels, should be a subcommittee sub-committee of the Beautification Committee, Com-mittee, containing such persons as a coun-cilmember, coun-cilmember, landscape expert, electric power consultant and college representative. A newly-formed commission could organize the shade tree program, select proper trees, aid in reducing costs and maintenance of street trees, increase public safety, preserve existing trees and sponsor meetings to inform the public of selection and problems. Some of the current problems include topping trees, overcrowding, improper pruning and staking and trees planted near power lines. Guil Funston, chairman chair-man of the Beautification Committee was fully in favor of a commission but added that he felt the city wasn't ready budget-wise or the public support wasn't there yet. He hoped, as did Spencer, that civic organizations would pick up some of the costs. |