City gets green recognition

Bryce Alderton

Huntington Beach has racked up a third name. Surf City can now also be

called “Tree City.”

More than 30 years after an inventory system was created to catalogs

all the trees in the city, the National Arbor Day Foundation has awarded

Huntington Beach the title of Tree City USA. The honor was bestowed to

commend the dedication shown to maintaining the oaks, elms and pines

growing within city limits.

“It’s really important to get a Tree City recognition,” said John Van

Oeffelen, operations manager for the city’s park, tree and landscape

division. “A lot of the council members are being recognized for the good

work they are doing.”

Huntington Beach has 55,000 sites with trees and 6,000 vacant spots

where trees could be planted, he said.

The group most responsible for Huntington Beach earning the title of

Tree City USA is the city’s Beautification, Landscape and Tree Committee.

The beautification committee, made up of members of Van Oeffelen’s

department, public works staff and council members, makes sure that dead

trees are replaced and that new trees planted don’t cause safety hazards.

The public works department and a group of 13 certified arborists

hired by the city began developing the inventory system in 1964. Since

then it has tracked the exact location of each tree in the city, Van

Oeffelen said.

A grid system maps out sections of the city to show where trees need

to be pruned -- it happens every three years -- and where dead trees are

that need to be replaced.

The beautification committee also works with the Huntington Beach Tree

Society to solicit for grants to replace missing trees, Van Oeffelen

said.

The city currently has $1 million in its general fund to pay for tree

planting, fertilizing, pruning and other maintenance, Van Oeffelen added.

Volunteers from churches, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts help plant trees

on selected Saturdays.

“It turns out wonderful that the kids are actually planting trees in

the community and watching them grow,” Van Oeffelen said. “It’s like

Christmas, where you give. To me that’s really important, that you get to

do something that you really enjoy.”

To qualify for the award a city must have a tree board or department,

adopt a tree ordinance, maintain a community forestry program with an

annual budget of at least $2 per capita and have an Arbor Day

celebration.

The city has celebrated Arbor Day with the Women of Action Committee

and the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce for the past 20 years.

This year’s Arbor Day celebration will be held on April 24 and will

feature a tree planting ceremony at Perry Park off Garfield Avenue.