- Volunteers are helping Boise Parks and Recreation protect trees in the area by wrapping them in wire.
- On Tuesday Volunteers took on Kathryn Albertson Park and removed wires from various trees. These Wires were once placed on the trees to protect them from wildlife.
- The next tree-wrapping volunteer opportunity is Tuesday, February 6th at Veterans Memorial Park.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
It's called the City of Trees and volunteers and residents want to keep it that way,
“It's not to just help in a small way, contributes to our beautiful park,” says Madi, a volunteer.
The reality is animals like beavers and deer enjoy chewing on the trees in many city spaces destroying them in the process.
Through the winter Kristin Gnojewski leads a team of volunteers to take action.
"We are just removing some wires that were put on at one time to protect these trees that are no longer needed,” says Gnojewski, community volunteer specialist with Boise Parks and Recreation.
The team wraps trees in a wire cage, but over time that wiring becomes too tight.
That's when volunteers step in and start clipping.
“Cut it as close as I can and leave whatever because if you rip it out it's like ripping a scab off,” Gnojewski says.
Beavers seem to prefer the cottonwoods along the river, so volunteers have been wrapping wire along the greenbelt.
On this particular day, volunteers were unwrapping trees throughout Kathryn Albertson Park.
"Sometimes it's damaging to the plants and it could be a safety hazard somebody getting snagged on it or an animal or a dog,” says Madi.
It seems when it comes to keeping wildlife away, it's working.
“We haven't had any beaver activity in this area in quite a while, and some of the trees are species that aren't really favorites in terms of what beaver eat. So we’ll clean most of the wire from this area and we’ll focus our efforts right around the pond in terms of rewrapping some trees.
Boise Parks and Recreation appreciates all volunteers who help keep Boise parks beautiful. If you’re interested in the next tree wrapping, it’s taking place at Veterans Memorial Park on February 6th from 10 am to noon.
