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filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Oklahoma Forestry Services is providing grant funding is to help governments and groups across Oklahoma implement urban forestry projects that will provide lasting environmental, economic and social benefits for all Oklahomans.
The purpose of this project is to restore and strengthen a healthy, resilient native tree canopy along Main Street (original Route 66) and the adjoining side-street corridors. Invasive Bradford Pear (Callery Pear / Pyrus calleryana) trees previously planted along the corridor will be professionally and safely removed by Blue Earth Landscaping. These trees have damaged concrete sidewalks, exhibit weak structure prone to failure, and act as a seed source that threatens local biodiversity.
Bradford Pears were widely planted decades ago as supposedly low-maintenance street trees. They are now recognized as invasive: they form dense thickets that displace native plants and wildlife, have weak branching prone to storm failure, produce an unpleasant odor, and—in Depew—have uplifted and damaged Main Street sidewalks. Their continued presence is both an ecological liability and an infrastructure burden for a small town with limited resources.
The project will restore a healthy native tree canopy along Depew’s original Route 66 Main Street corridor and adjoining side streets while building local understanding of urban forestry. Residents, visitors, and officials will see tangible improvements in shade, extreme-heat mitigation, sidewalk safety, biodiversity, and the historic appearance of the corridor—demonstrating the value of native trees for community health, resilience, and quality of life in a small rural town.