We have had a very unusual winter and March is following with buds starting to show up on trees already.

As a member of Spruce Up Austin and being employed by the city of Austin Park and Recreation Department, I would like to share with you some news from the Department.

Last fall we were fortunate enough to receive a GreenCorps Member, Sara Fechtelkotter, through a grant from MPCA. The main purpose of the grant application was to complete a tree inventory of our boulevards, parks and green spaces.

With the onset of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) it is crucial to know how many ash tree we have that could be impacted in our community. The data from the inventory will be used to help diversify our boulevard and park planting.

We are beginning to develop some of those plans as well as the EAB Preparedness Plan. Spruce Up will be sponsoring a spring seminar discussing the public inventory and how that impacts the private sector when it comes to planting in your own yard.

Information will come out soon on the location and date of the seminar.