Volunteers are needed for tree planting along Seltice Way on Saturday, May 8th. The City of Coeur d’Alene, with the assistance of the Centennial Trail Foundation, will be planting 46 trees and 21 shrubs between Seltice Way and the Centennial Trail. The planting will extend from the trailhead parking lot near the intersection of Northwest Boulevard, west approximately 1/3 mile, to the stoplight at Riverstone Drive.
Volunteers should be at least 13 years of age, and are asked to meet at the trailhead parking lot, near Northwest Boulevard, at 8:30 a.m. Appropriate, outdoor clothing and work gloves are suggested.
The new trees will enhance this transportation corridor by providing a visual and physical separation between motorized vehicle traffic and trail users. Trees will make trail use more pleasant by providing shade and by screening noise, fumes, and dust from the street. Trees also assist by “treating” rain water, increasing soil permeability, and utilizing/recycling ground water.
The trees are a mixture of native evergreens and deciduous trees. Native trees were selected because they are well-suited to the area. They also provide a sense-of-place to one of the city’s gateways. The deciduous species were chosen for the added shade they provide. The shrub selection is Syringa – Idaho’s state flower.
A Community Transportation Enhancement grant from the Idaho Department of Land’s Community Forestry Program, in cooperation with the Idaho Transportation Department, provided the funding for tree and shrub purchases. Volunteer hours will assist in matching grant funds.
One of the westbound travel lanes on Seltice Way will be closed from 7:30 a.m. until the completion of the project, which is expected to be by 12-noon. The cooperation of the driving public is appreciated.
For more information, please contact Karen Haskew, Urban Forester, at 769-2266.
