Forestry

Division Services & Information 

The mission of the Bismarck Forestry Division is to manage and improve the health of the urban forest while enhancing the quality of life for our growing community.


Responsibilities 

  • Landscaping information
  • Planting, pruning, and removal of trees
  • Insects, diseases, and abiotic damage information
  • Urban forestry information
  • Community resources and programs

Cankerworm

Cankerworms (commonly called inchworms or loopers) are being observed around Bismarck. Homeowners, arborists, and park managers should be on the lookout for cankerworm leaf feeding and know their options for control of these worms. Read on for an article published by the Burleigh County Extension Office.

Boulevard Tree Planting

Spring has arrived and now is a great time for tree planting.  The City of Bismarck has partnered with community minded sponsors again this year to provide a partial cost share for boulevard tree planting.  Click here for more information on the Partners In Planting program and how to request a boulevard tree planting permit.

Protect Your Trees from the Mower

The mower is one of the leading killers of trees in North Dakota

Mowers attack bark, the armor of a tree. Just beneath the bark is the phloem, a precious layer where nutrients are carried from the leaves to the roots. If you expose the bark, the phloem is destroyed. If you destroy the phloem, the roots stop receiving nutrients from leaves. The roots starve and die.

If that isn’t bad enough, the wounds created by mowers are easily invaded by diseases.
How much damage to the bark can a tree withstand?

Trees generally survive if the damage is limited to 25% or less of the bark around the tree. As damage levels increase higher, the tree suffers higher levels of decay and dieback. If the bark is stripped around the entire tree, it will die. This is called girdling.

Read on for the full article published by NDSU Extension - Stark & Billings County