The Forestry Division of the Park and Recreation Department includes two Certified Arborists that also perform various other duties for the Park Division. They are certified and accredited by the International Society of Arboriculture and the Nebraska Arborist Association. The Division helps to maintain park trees, administer street tree grant and removal programs, as well as assist residents of Kearney in any of their tree and landscape questions. Also, and perhaps most importantly, they maintain numerous networking contacts with the Nebraska Forest Service, Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Nebraska Department of Agriculture, and the National Arbor Day Foundation that sponsors the Tree City Recognition Program that the City has met the criteria for almost 40 consecutive years.
The Division also works closely with the Development Services Department’s Code Enforcement Division in a consultation basis on Right of Way trees and some other specialized woody vegetation management activities. All of these activities are pursued by the Forestry Division on behalf of the citizens of Kearney to promote and maintain a healthy, diverse, and sustainable urban forest