SIDNEY — The Sidney Tree Board discussed a tree grant received at a meeting on March 21.

A $300,000 Inflation Reduction Act Funding (IRAF) Tree Grant was awarded to the city. The grant will be used for tree assessment, GIS tree inventory, mitigation of hazardous trees, a tree planting plan, and downtown Sidney tree options.

Other items discussed included:

• Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) presentation will be held at the Shelby Public Transit Conference Room on April 9 at 6:30 p.m. Street Manager Brian Green will present about Tree City USA and proper planting techniques;

• The Tree City USA award banquet will be held on April 19;

• A tree permit has been issued to 414 Charles Ave. to remove four trees and replace them with two Sargent’s cherry trees and two silk lilac trees;

• Arbor Day is April 26. Green will follow up with more details;

• Final selections for the 2024 tree sale will be made by May 16. At some point, the board would like to explore ideas for planting an urban forest;

• The 2024 tree pruning map was provided. Green’s goal is to move into the area scheduled for 2025. In 2025, Green plans to start pruning a 20% area instead of 10%, moving the pruning cycle to every five years instead of 10;

• The Junior Tree Commission Academy will be held on Oct. 9 and 10 in the Shelby Public Transit Conference Room.

Board member Ross Moore was absent from the meeting and was excused.

The next Tree Board meeting will be held on May 16 at 4 p.m. in City Hall’s council chambers.