BURBANK : State Grant Sought to Plant 137 Trees

The city of Burbank has applied for state funds to plant 137 trees in the Lake Street neighborhood early next year.

The grant application for $4,080 was approved by the City Council last week.

A similar grant approved last year for $10,000 from the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Urban Forestry program is allowing the city to plant 265 trees for a Burbank Airport neighborhood beneath the airport flight path on May 8, Parks and Recreation Director Mary Alvord said.

The application would not be approved for about four months. The trees would be planted early next year in the neighborhood bounded by South Lake Street, West Olive and West Alameda avenues and North Victory Boulevard.

“For the grant program, we always select a neighborhood that is severely underplanted with trees,” Alvord said.

The city has a goal of planting 1,000 new trees every fiscal year. For the 1992-93 year, the city has planted 278 trees in residential areas and 115 in commercial areas. Developers have planted 20 trees in the past year and city staff have replaced 241 trees that were damaged or diseased, Alvord said.