The Park Trees Plan

A park without trees is just a field. Some parks include fields, but the beauty and utility of many Cedar Rapids’ parks comes from their trees. To visit these places now can be heartbreaking: the ragged tops of those trees that survived only remind us of the many that were lost. This memory of former glory spurs us to replant them as quickly and robustly as possible.

But this replanting is also an opportunity to make these parks better. Best practices in park forestry have advanced since Cedar Rapids’ parks were originally designed. Applying these practices to the City’s parks results in plans that move beyond the simple replacement of lost trees.

An aggressive strategy for replanting Cedar Rapids’ parks is detailed on page 95 of the ReLeaf Cedar Rapids plan. It includes selecting trees from the ReLeaf Tree list and not planting imported species where a native tree will thrive. Parks will be planted according to the 10-20-30 rule regarding the percentage use of any one species, genus, or family of trees.

Park trees will be planted as saplings, protected by stakes. They will be placed as groups in groves of seedlings close enough together that their roots can eventually touch. The groves will be placed at the edges of existing tree stands and along shared property lines. Large numbers of seedlings will be planted along unshaded segments of recreation trails.

Trees will be planted along existing paths with same-species trees on both sides. They will also be located in areas of activities to provide shade and summer cooling. Plans identify the location of current or potential future community gardens. The planting of groves of food-producing seedlings adjacent to community gardens is encouraged.

Replanting will include opportunities for planting an understory of native shrubs, perennials, and/or groundcover beneath trees. The City will pursue a strategy to eradicate major invasive species from its woodlands and unimproved park areas and begin to populate open areas with seedlings as they become available.

All the work in replanting will be entered into a City database, applying asset management best practices. Each tree will be assigned a watering and inspection schedule and pruned as necessary.

Daniels Park: Pre-derecho

Daniels Park: Day after derecho

Park Prioritization

As with street trees, one of the responsibilities of the plan was to determine which parks get replanted first. Three criteria were used to determine priority: Park Classification, Tree Equity Score, and Percent Population below 18 Years.

PARK CLASSIFICATION

Due to their accessibility to nearby residential areas, smaller school and neighborhood parks have a greater impact on people’s daily quality of life and should be prioritized above community parks, which should in turn be prioritized above regional parks.

TREE EQUITY SCORE

The Tree Equity Score, described on pages 75–78 of the ReLeaf Cedar Rapids plan, is used to incorporate important canopy coverage, climate, and socioeconomic variables into the overall analysis.

PERCENT POPULATION BELOW 18 YEARS WITHIN 1/2 MILE

The goal is to prioritize the replanting of parks that are most likely to be used by local children.

The Parks and Recreation Department maintains four park crews within a quadrant system. Therefore, consideration is made to prioritize work sorted by quadrant, so each crew can maintain a steady pace and make efficient use of watering equipment.

> See the Priority Ranking of Parks map on page 92 of the ReLeaf Cedar Rapids Plan at CityofCR.com/ReLeaf.

The City of Cedar Rapids identified 38 of its parks as in need of detailed planting plans following the derecho. Designs for these parks are included in the ReLeaf Cedar Rapids plan appendix.

Invasive Species Control

Aside from replanting our trees, one of the most labor-intensive efforts to arise out of the 2020 derecho is the control of invasive species. As the mature trees in our wooded areas fell, woodland floors were disturbed, and sunlight streamed in where it had not before. Under these conditions, many of the invasive species now common to Iowa woodlands were given a chance to take on a more dominant role in those ecosystems.

In the Cedar Rapids area, species such as bush honeysuckle, European buckthorn, garlic mustard, oriental bittersweet, and multiflora rose are likely to out-compete young or newly planted native trees and shrubs and will require dedicated effort to control. It is imperative that control methods are used while the invasive species are young since fighting them once established can prove to be an overwhelming — if not impossible — task. Control methods are referenced in the Iowa DNR Forestry Invasive Species Guide.