Several forestry professionals visited St. John to view parks and trees. Pictured are City Superintendent Mel Chesbro; City Volunteer Forester Barry Ragan; Eric Berg, Kansas Forest Service; Ralph Campbell, Colorado State Forest Service; Dennis Carlson, District Forester; Jim Geiger, Urban Forest Research, Davis, Calif.; Susan Ford, US Forest Service, Denver, Colo.; Ray Aslin, Kansas State Forest Service; and Helene Miller, Urban Forest Service, Mo.

  St. John's trees and Parks attract state and national attention
Barry Ragan
City Volunteer Forester
(Courtesy of the St. John News)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

  On Wednesday, May 30, St. John was host to a group of foresters reviewing the Kansas Urban and Community Forestry Program. Eric Berg, the Kansas Forest Service's Urban and Community Forester, accompanied Ray Aslin, the Kansas State Forester, along with Dennis Carlson, the South Central District Forester, on the tour.
  Other foresters involved on the review board were Susan Ford, the U&CF Coordinator, R-2 for the USDA Forest Service, Jim Geiger, the Technology Transfer Specialist for the USDA Forest Service stationed out of Southern California, Ralph Campbell, the Denver Metro Forester for the Colorado State Forest Service, and Helen Miller, the Missouri Department of Conservation Forester for the Kansas City, Mo. area.
  The review team met with Mel Chesbro, our city superintendent, and Barry Ragan, our volunteer city forester, and discussed forestry issues pertaining to St. John and other cites this size.
Their objectives were:
  1. Review the current status of the program leadership and the field delivery of the U&CF program;
  2. Evaluate the program and determine if federal assistance grants are properly used and funded programs are conducted appropriately and in accordance with the national guidelines;
  3. Determine the effectiveness of the U&CF program in building lasting program capacity at the community and state levels;
4. Look at opportunities to improve delivery of federal assistance to communities, and
5.Evaluate opportunities and emerging issues.
  Before and after their review hearing, the group toured the Square, Brown Park, and observed the numerous trees planted around town by our tree board, city staff, and St. John volunteers. They also noticed all the tree identification markers placed throughout the Square.
  Chesbro and Ragan accompanied the group to Brown Park, showing the improvements made in the park during the last few years. They mentioned the city's future plans, including installing an underground sprinkling system in the park's main area and on the hill, creating two new children's play areas and placing a 12' tall spiral slide, a whirl merry-go-round, and a 10' tall children's swing set in the play areas.
  After their Brown Park visit, Susan Ford mentioned Brown Park was the nicest park she has seen for a city of its size! Mis. Ford also oversees the Federal Urban and Community Forestry Grant Programs in the five central states.
  The review board was told that if the recent Recreational Grant application is approved, Brown Park will have a new shelter house northwest of our city swimming pool, an extension to the walking path from the hill westward to the proposed shelter house, ten metal picnic tables, six barbecue grills, trash receptacles, and a skate board park located just east of our city's tennis courts.
  The foresters were impressed with all the forestry work done in St. John and especially the many donations coming from our local clubs, organizations, and citizens. They were also impressed with  our local government's support in carrying out the parks program. They noticed all the hard work done by Chesbro's staff in Brown Park and in the Square.
  Their stay in St. John was longer than any other stop during their two-day tour, largely because of their Brown Park visit. Before coming to St. John, they surveyed the tornado damage in nearby Hoisington. After leaving our city, they conducted review boards in Hutchinson, Park City, and Haysville.
  They closed out their tour with a Thursday afternoon review of the Kansas Urban Forestry Council. The meeting was held at Sedgwick County's Extension Office. Volunteer city forester Barry Ragan, who is a KUFC board member, was at that meeting.

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