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Reno Urban Forestry Commission

Japanese Red Pine posing in Idlewild Park
during Artown

Topics on this page:

    Purpose of the organization
    Outreach Publications

Purpose of the organization:
"The Urban Forestry Commission advises the City in the use and maintenance of vegetation in public areas such as streets, roadsides, parkways, neighborhood and City parks, easements, public parking lots and traffic medians. The Commission's goal is to create, maintain and promote a safe, healthy and attractive urban forest for the enhancement of the natural environment of Reno." This quote is from their website.

Outreach Programs:

The Reno Urban Forestry Commission (RUFC) has a number of outreach programs. The following are some of them:

1. Reno, Carson City, Sparks and Gardnerville are part of the Tree City USA program. To be a Tree City USA, a city must meet four standards ([website www.arborday.org/programs/treecityusa.html]):

  1. Have a tree board or department;
  2. Have a tree care ordinance;
  3. Have a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita; and
  4. Have an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

    During the annual Arbor Day celebration, the RUFC plants a tree somewhere in Reno. In the past, these trees have been planted in parks or at schools. There is a guest speaker and a Tree City USA sign is awarded to the City. You may have seen them; there is one on the west side of North Virginia Street south of the Bonanza Casino, and there is one on US 395 southbound just before entering Carson City.

    2. Memorial plaques:

    With a donation of $300 you can arrange with the Reno Urban Forestry Commission to have a brass plaque placed alongside a tree on public property, as a memorial or just to identify the tree. Contact the City of Reno Parks Department at (775) 334-2270 for more details.

    3. Wood chip mulch sales:

    The City of Reno also sells wood chips obtained from trees removed because they were dead or hazardous.

    1. Gifts of Trees:

    On special occasions, the RUFC buys and plants trees as gifts to some entity. This year, they will buy and plant five trees at the Lake Mansion, Court Street and Arlington Avenue, during Nevada Shade Tree week in late October.

    Publication:

    "Idlewild Park Trees: Self-Guided Walking Tours of Reno's Arboretum", 26 pp.

    This has a map, leaf diagram and information on over 100 different kinds of trees in Idlewild Park, Reno, and is an excellent resource not only for the park, but for information on growing many of the trees found in the park. For availability, contact the Parks office of the City of Reno (775-334-2070) or online at www.cityofreno.com/gov/boards/urban_forestry.

    Upcoming events:

    Reno Fall Home Show. October 14-16 at the Convention Center, 4001 South Virginia Street, Reno. RUFC will man a booth during the convention to help answer questions about planting and maintaining woody plants in northwestern Nevada. For more information, search for "RSCVA Fall Home Show" on the Net.

    Nevada Shade Tree Week. Wednesday, October 26. This year RUFC will celebrate by planting five trees at noon at the Lake Mansion, Court Street and Arlington Avenue (240 Court Street), Reno.

    Tree Care Seminar, January 13, 2006 at the Peppermill Hotel, Reno. This is a one-day seminar for professionals in the "Green Industry" (landscapers and people working in nurseries). Contact the City of Reno Parks Department for details at (775) 334-2270.