City Recognizes Bluestone Tree with “Parks Partner” Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 23, 2016

For more information, please contact:
Lee Huss, Urban Forester, City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, 812.349.3716 or [hussl@bloomington.in.gov|mailto:hussl@bloomington.in.gov]

Julie Ramey, Community Relations Manager, City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, 812.349.3719 or [rameyj@bloomington.in.gov|mailto:rameyj@bloomington.in.gov]

[L to R: Grayden Bloxham, Jerad Oren, Tiffany Oren, Kayden Oren, Delaney Oren, Nate Oren, Urban Forester Lee Huss|image:25523,right]Bloomington, Ind.-A local tree care company donated state-of-the-art equipment, eight professional staff, and an entire day's worth of work to the City of Bloomington to remove a stately but dying tree from one of Bloomington's city parks in January.

Jerad Oren, owner of Bluestone Tree, volunteered his company's services when the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department reached out to the forest products industry to acquire their assistance with removing a large white oak tree from Seminary Park. The tree, more than 60" in diameter, 115 feet tall and about 175 years old, was evaluated and determined to be hazardous after root damage caused the tree's health to decline.

White oak lumber is a valuable commodity, and the Parks and Recreation Department intended to use its value to offset the expense of removing the tree. Although no businesses wanted to buy the white oak lumber, Bluestone Tree's owner Jerad Oren said he wanted to give back to the community and so committed his equipment and crew to remove the tree at no cost to the city.

Bluestone Tree was at Seminary Park before dawn on January 28. By 6:30 p.m., the entire tree had been safely and efficiently removed, and the logs and salvageable limbs taken to a staging area, where they will be milled into lumber for use in Bloomington Parks and Recreation's Urban Wood Waste Program.

Bloomington Parks and Recreation is sincerely grateful not only for Bluestone Tree's willingness to invest their time and resources to the city, but also for their commitment to safety, and for using extreme care to leave the park in excellent condition once the removal was complete.

"We were sad to have to remove this stately, matriarch tree from our city park," said Julie Ramey, Community Relations Manager for the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department. "Yet, thanks to the combined efforts of the city's Parks and Recreation, Street, and Police Departments, along with Jerad Oren and Bluestone Tree, the removal occurred safely and flawlessly. We thank Bluestone Tree for showing their dedication to the City of Bloomington, and for leading by example."

Jerad Oren said, "We were happy to help and glad we could give something back to a great community that has given us much."

[A short video showing highlights of the tree's removal can be viewed online.|https://vimeo.com/155912127]

For more information about [Seminary Park|Seminary Park} or [Bloomington's Urban Wood Waste Program,|Street Trees and Landscaping] call the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department at 812.349.3700.

###