Joplin receives grant to improve community forests

The Missouri Department of Conservation has awarded the City of Joplin a grant through its Community Forestry Cost-Share program. Community Forestry Cost-Share is designed to assist communities with promoting the benefits of and improving their community forest.

This program will assist the City of Joplin in updating its existing inventory of trees in City Parks, assess the City Parks’ trees for risk, and prune one tree in Spiva Park.

Trees have a significant impact on city parks, neighborhoods, and along streets. They provide a screen of urban noise and lighting, offer shady resting places, and prevent erosion and runoff in neighborhoods and commercial developments. Trees also offer habitat to birds and wildlife.

“We appreciate the Missouri Department of Conservation providing the resources for this survey,” said Paul Bloomberg, Director of Parks and Recreation. “A tree survey, along with the risk assessments, provides a great resource focusing on Joplin’s tree canopy. The collected data will help plan for the future of our community forest.”

MDC has been a strong partner for the City of Joplin, assisting in previous years with funding for these types of activities, as well as educational materials and conferences. This type of support is beneficial to the City in maintaining its Tree City USA status.