URBAN FORESTER SAYS TREES GOOD FOR TOWNS

Much like a recently transplanted seedling, Rocky Hayes is sinking roots in the soil of Cape Girardeau.

Hayes is an urban forester for the Missouri Department of Conservation. He is only the fourth urban forester in the state. The program started in the early 1980s.

Hayes offers information to 13 cities from Ste. Genevieve to Kennett about pruning and planting trees.

Because urban forestry is a fledgling program, many people don't know what it is or how it works.

Hayes said a forester in St. Louis compared his job to the Maytag repairman.

"He even took out an ad in the newspaper to let people know he was there," Hayes said, adding that he hasn't resorted to that since he started working in Cape Girardeau in July.

Most people think of forests existing beyond city limits, and don't readily grasp the need for urban forestry.

But 80 percent of the nation's population lives in urban areas, and population growth can mean fewer trees as cities expand.

Urban foresters work with city officials to develop tree ordinances and counter that trend.

"Most of society is urban, and the rural landowners live in the city," Hayes said. "So it makes sense to go to them."

And Hayes does. His job includes everything from answering questions to making house calls to identify trees.

On a single day last week, he answered questions about the white oak acorn season and the best time to prune and transplant trees. He also visited farms in North Cape Girardeau County.

"Fall is a great time to plant," he said. "The advantage is that the roots grow and expand through the winter."

Promoting tree ordinances isn't the only branch of his work.

To promote tree planting, Hayes worked with Jackson park officials on a grant application. The city applied for a Branch Out Missouri grant from the Department of Conservation.

Hayes offered advice on the best types of trees to plant along the city's property, particularly at the parks.

Trees are a valuable asset to any community and help the city make a good first impression with visitors, Hayes said.

An ordinance says, "Your city has a lot to offer and needs to maintain it's trees," he said.

Since most trees planted along city streets are on public property, the city already maintains them.

When spring and summer storms blow through, the public works department often picks up broken limbs and branches.

It probably costs the city more to take down the trees after a storm than to regularly maintain them, Hayes said.

With a tree ordinance, the city could employ a forester and staff to care for the city's trees.

"It's a valuable program, and because of the liability, it behooves the city to have one," Hayes said. "The ordinance is just the first step."

Only a few cities in Missouri have such an ordinance on record. Cape Girardeau does have a city law restricting the type of trees that can be planted on city property.

Prohibited are Carolina poplar, cottonwood, Lombardy poplar, tree of heaven, black locust, honey locust, Russian mulberry and black gum trees. The law lists 18 trees suitable for planting on city property or street rights of way.

There are 140 native tree species in Missouri but the number of trees can double when exotic trees are introduced, Hayes said.

Missouri has about 14 acres --or one-third of the state -- covered in forest.

Over time, Missouri has added more forests than cut timber, Hayes said, adding that programs like the Conservation Reserve program restores abandoned farm lands into forests.