By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
As Bowling Green Arborist Adrien Lowien-Kirian wraps up the Community Canopy Program that provides discounted trees to property owners in the city, she offered the top reasons to think about planting trees now.
First, fall is the best time of year to plant trees.
“Fall is an advantageous time to handle trees because it reduces the stress as they are going into their dormant season,” she said.
The trees don’t use energy on producing and sustaining leaves or on water intake in the fall like they do during the spring and summer months,
Planting can be done in cooler temperatures compared to the heat of summer. The trees and the people planting the trees fare better in the cooler temperatures. Depending on the weather, fall planting can last until early to mid-December as long as the ground is not frozen, Lowien-Kirian said.
“You also will use less water resources at the beginning of your planting, and you don’t need to continue watering” once the ground freezes, she said. The trees are establishing their roots to provide a good head start going into the spring.
One of the best reasons for planting now is the opportunity to take advantage of the discounted tree program, Community Canopy, in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation that was announced last month.
The city has invested in a pilot Community Canopy program by paying half of the $100 cost per tree to make 120 trees available this fall to improve the city’s tree canopy, Lowien-Kirian said.
Bowling Green property owners can purchase up to four trees at the discounted price of $50 per tree. Approximately 50 trees are still “looking for homes,” she said, including the varieties Kentucky Coffeetree, American Beech, Black Tupelo (Black Gum) and Bur Oak. The Tuliptree (Yellow Poplar) and Flowering Dogwood varieties are sold out.
Each of the tree varieties was picked by the arborist to be good canopy trees that are native to the region. Canopy trees benefit homeowners by improving air and water quality, managing stormwater runoff, sequestering carbon and reducing utility bills. They also keep heat down in the summer and reduces the radiant heat in an area, Lowien-Kirian said. Through the transpiration of water through leaves, trees provide cooler shade than artificial shade or canopy from a building.
“Socially and health wise it’s important to have trees visible around us,” she added. Trees provide habitat for a lot of different wildlife and necessary pollinating opportunities for pollinators.
The process to order the trees is handled through the Arbor Day Foundation website. Orders must be placed prior to Nov. 4 on the Arbor Day Foundation website. The website uses an online mapping tool that takes the guesswork out of where to plant the tree on a specific property to help maximize the tree’s air, water, energy and carbon benefits. Payment is made on the website.
The five- to six-foot trees will be in five-gallon pots ready for pick up on Nov. 4 between 9 a.m. and noon at the Public Works garage, 1040 N College Drive, off Poe Road.
“As a municipality, Bowling Green has done a really good job of keeping trees in the city right of way and in the spaces available to plant trees. We really want to work with residents or property owners to be able to have trees planted on private property to increase the whole urban canopy of the city,” Lowien-Kirian said.
