Residents in the northwest quadrant of Mount Vernon may notice cheerfully-colored flags popping up in their neighborhood right-of-ways this April. It’s not the kids next door running a multi-block obstacle course, but workers from Iowa One Call, marking utilities for a spring tree-planting program.
During the derecho of 2020, Mount Vernon lost near to 200 trees in the right-of-way. In the year following, City Council committed to planting fifty trees per year over four years, to re-establish neighborhood streetscapes. This year, through Monarch Research’s Planting Forward program, the City will receive 100 tree saplings for this purpose.
Monarch Research is a non-profit organization based out of Marion, that seeks to improve pollinator habitat for monarch butterflies in Linn County, and hopefully sets a standard for the rest of the country in seeking to maintain healthy populations of pollinators as a critical part of the ecosystem.
Mount Vernon’s efforts toward canopy restoration started with the southwest quadrant in 2022 and continues clock-wise through 2025. City crews will begin planting trees in mid-to-late April and water them periodically, to make sure they become firmly established. Residents north of First Street and west of Hwy 1 who would like a tree planted in the right-of-way outside their home may contact City Hall at (319) 895-8742 x114.
Planting it Forward
April 6, 2023