Forestry

Forestry

Norfolk has been honored as a "Tree City, USA" for the past 12 years. The City Arborist works hand-in-hand with the Tree Board, planting hundreds of new trees. Arbor Day is promoted each April with educational programs and the planting of special trees. Replacement of dead or diseased trees on the terrace and in the parks is an on-going process.

How do I get my terrace tree checked?

You may have concerns about a dead or diseased tree, or a tree that may be posing a safety hazard that you need to have addressed. The Emerald Ash Borer is in Nebraska, although it has not been found within 50 miles of Norfolk. The City of Norfolk has adopted an EAB Community Plan. Please call the Parks and Recreation Office at (402) 844-2250 or email for assistance. 

How can I get involved?

There are multiple ways to get involved that will benefit the community. You could serve on the Tree Board, receive reimbursement for planting a tree in or near the terrace, receive reimbursement for lawn conversion, or participate in the Tree Bud program. Find out more by clicking on one of the links below.

• Re-Tree Program ($100 reimbursement for terrace trees)
• Lawn Conversion Program ($1000 reimbursement for lawn conversion or rain garden projects)
• Tree Bud Program ($2 added to your water bill once every other month)

Useful Links

Tree Owners Manual

Environmentally Adapted Trees

What are Environmentally Adapted Trees (EAT)?  Click on the hyperlink to read Justin Evertson's article on the subject. The City of Norfolk, partnering with the Nebraska Forest Service, planted over 60 Environmentally Adapted Trees in a test plot at Ta-Ha-Zouka Park along South First Street, between the Elkhorn River Trail parking lot and the Elkhorn River.  The City will plant another four trees when they become available to complete this initial planting.

www.arborday.org -  Arbor Day Foundation's website

www.nearborists.org  -  Nebraska Arborist Association website

http://www.cirrusimage.com/trees!toc.htm  -  Tree Encyclopedia Index website, has a good database of tree info

Hardiness Zone Map - Be sure you consider a tree that will survive in our Nebraska climate. Trees are rated for a particular hardiness zone(s) and our area of Nebraska is rated zone 4.  The lower the zone number the more cold hardy a tree is.  Planting a tree rated for a zone 5 is a risk but in some cases can be successful.

2010 Tree Inventory Report - a breakdown of street and park tree species distribution in Norfolk from a tree inventory performed in 2010.

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