City tree rebate program makes good idea better

It's a good time to plan this year's garden, but the City of McCook is again offering a chance to think about long-term planting -- say a generation or two.

McCook has been a Tree City USA for at least 27 years, and is again offering residents the chance to maintain that status for another year.

Checking back in the archives, it was six years ago New Years when Southwest and Central Nebraska were assaulted by a major ice storm which knocked out power for thousands of residents and broke limbs from millions of trees in the process.

At the time, we compared the sound of falling branches to the sound of an artillery barrage.

The city tree rebate program, open for trees purchased April 1 to June 14 this year, is designed to counteract the loss of trees during that storm, as well as natural attrition due to age of trees, construction, agriculture and other causes.

The program will rebate two trees per property owner or tenant per lot each spring and fall, provided requirements are met, such as size (minimum 6 feet high), purchased locally, with a sales slip, proper mulching, and planting in the front yard.

The program will rebate 75 percent of the total purchase price for focus trees, (English, white, heritage or bur oak) up to $100 per tree, or up to $75 for ornamental and shade trees on the program's approved list.

If money isn't an incentive, consider the following benefits of trees:

* An acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and produces four tons of oxygen a year, enough for 18 people.

* Trees can shade paved areas that can otherwise become blisteringly hot in summer.

* Mature trees add an average of 10 percent to a property's value, according to the USDA Forest Services.

* Businesses do better on tree-lined streets, according to a 2004 study.

* Trees can reduce building heating costs by 20-50 percent and cooling costs by 30 percent if strategically placed.

For more information on the tree rebate program, call the city at (308) 345-2022 or visit cityofmccook.com.