The final step started taking shape last week in the City of Houston’s effort to upgrade the tree population at Emmett Kelly Park.
City employees, Missouri Department of Conservation workers and workers from a prison crew last Thursday began planting 55 trees at the park, purchased through a Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM) grant provided through a cost-share program administered by the MDC in cooperation with the Missouri Community Forest Council.
The new trees will replace 26 that were removed because of storm damage or age, and add shade to areas of the park that have previously been exposed to hot summer sun.
City officials said that even though the new trees are fairly large, parents should caution children to avoid damaging them by not climbing on them. Work on the planting project is expected to be complete about two weeks after it began.