Fearing die-off, Missoula city council approves new urban forest plan

Within the next 20 years, the last original Norway maple tree planted by the city’s forbearers between 1908 and 1936 will die.

If no action is taken to mitigate the loss and replace the aging urban forest, residents will notice the absence of shady green trees by the time today’s toddlers are old enough for college.

"Right now, we have a little over 1,300 trees that are either dead or in poor condition," Chris Boza, the city’s urban forester, told the Missoula City Council on Monday night. "At the rate the current Norway population is aging and dying out, in five to 10 years, a very large portion of those trees will be gone."

By Martin Kidston

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/news/local/fearing-die-off-missoula-city-council-approves-new-urban-forest/article_9656cda9-44ab-50b3-8614-d1930a5a5dd6.html