SPRINGFIELD — The city is seeking to hire a consultant for an inventory of street trees, with officials saying it will help update and correct current records and plans for future plantings.
Proposals are due Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. at the Office of Procurement at City Hall and will be evaluated by a city review committee.
“It’s a huge benefit in that it allows us to properly plan for future tree plantings,” said Patrick Sullivan, the city’s director of parks, buildings and recreation management. “An it aids us in identifying the need for future grants. It’s very important to get more trees in the urban landscape.”
The inventory targets an estimated 35,000 existing trees as well as 15,000 potential new planting locations, the city said in the request for proposals.
The cost of the consultant is estimated not to exceed $200,000 and will be afforded with funds from the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, the city said. There are also plans to expand the city’s tree nursery at Forest Park this year to aid in the tree planting effort, Sullivan said.
The inventory ties in with a $315,000 grant received by Springfield last year under the state’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant program. The MVP funds are being used for an environmental assessment of the city’s urban trees and to develop a climate resilience plan, Sullivan said.
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno praised the tree efforts, saying that “planting trees and creating a resilient urban forest are essential to answering the needs of our citizens as our global temperatures continue to rise.”
Sullivan said street trees help keep buildings and streets cool. In addition, the trees help slow down and absorb water runoff, he said.
The city’s Forestry Department has maintained a tree inventory the past 15 years to help plan and track tree maintenance activities, Sullivan said. It includes characteristics such as age, species and conditions.
The planned comprehensive inventory will update that data, including information that is no longer accurate, Sullivan said.
The city anticipates the inventory will begin March 1 and will be completed within one year.
