Nominations Sought for Heritage Tree Program to Honor Edwardsville’s Noteworthy Trees

EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Environmental Commission is branching out with a program to honor the trees that are among the oldest and most notable in the City and to simultaneously raise awareness about the importance of preserving them.

The Heritage Tree program is an effort to encourage the conservation of established trees, recognize some distinctive examples and to educate about the essential role trees play in a community. Residents and others who know of a tree in Edwardsville that might qualify for heritage tree status are encouraged to submit nominations for the program.

“With the help of the commission, I created a program that will help recognize and value the importance of our established tree canopy while honoring the heritage trees that add history and texture to the fabric of our community,” Ward 1 Alderman Chris Farrar said. “Edwardsville is the third oldest city in Illinois and a major goal of mine is to preserve as much as possible the character and personality of our great community.”

To be eligible for consideration, trees must meet one or more criteria in the following categories:

• SIZE: The tree is in the top 10% of tree sizes of its inventoried species in Edwardsville.
• RARITY: It is a one-of-a-kind tree due to species type, characteristic and/or a species of less than 10% of all inventoried trees in Edwardsville.
• HISTORIC OR NOTABLE EVENT: There is a documented association with a historic event of 75 or more years ago and/or a more recent event of notable worth.
• AGE: The tree is more than 100 years old.
• SPECIAL ECOLOGICAL VALUE: The tree is shown to provide soil stabilization, an important genetic resource, or offers critical habitat for important plant or animal species.
• LOCATION: The tree is considered of public value as a prominent visual focal point as viewed from public streets and right-of-ways.
• AESTHETICS: The tree has a distinct or unusually appealing visual characteristic. Participation in the program is voluntary. If a nominated tree is on private land, the land owner would need to provide written consent to be included and would retain all ownership and responsibility for the tree. Nominations will be evaluated by the City’s horticulture coordinator in conjunction with the Edwardsville Environmental Commission.

Sarah Cundiff, who chairs the Edwardsville Environmental Commission, said it’s been a goal of the commission to get the Heritage Tree program up and running to highlight the many ways that trees contribute to the community’s well-being. Beyond beautifying a city, they serve as critical habitats for wildlife, improve air quality, and provide cooling shade that helps to combat the urban heat island effect. The commission hopes to eventually showcase the heritage trees that are visible from the public right-of- way via an online map or listing. To submit a nomination, visit www.cityofedwardsville.com/heritagetree.

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