To help city residents with their trees, the City of Dallas is calling residents’ attention to the city’s forestry website section with resources on topics that range from tree planting to confronting the newly spotted emerald ash borer.
To better manage neighborhood trees and one of the largest bottomland hardwood forests in the nation with more than 6,000 acres of trees known as the Great Trinity Forest in south Dallas, Dallas officials launched a city-wide tree task force in 2021 to bring about the goals the city set forth in its Urban Forest Master Plan. Part of that plan includes expanding the overall tree canopy in the city from 32% – 37% within a decade to deal with the already-happening effects of climate change.
The arrival of the asian emerald ash borer in 2022 has made the city’s need to get tree information within reach of residents even more urgent, as the invasive beetle threatens to decimate tree canopies, both in neighborhoods that are primarily forested with ash trees and in the Great Trinity Forest where as much as 20% of the total tree inventory is ash.
There are no effective methods to control the emerald ash borer, so the city advises residents to replace ash trees as soon as possible with a variety of hardy trees including cedar elm, sycamore, bur oak and other trees. Throughout the year, the city’s Branch Out Dallas program makes free trees available at special events.
The new urban forest website section includes information on the emerald ash borer with a guide to identifying ash trees, along with tree planting and care tips, a guide to the city’s tree ordinances, and notice of volunteer opportunities.
For questions about trees, the Urban Forest Master Plan, emerald ash borers or any other tree related topic, the City of Dallas Forestry department may be contacted by email at codforestry@dallascityhall.com or by phone at 214-670-3111.
