This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Posted: 10:06 AM- Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon plans to sink his roots a little deeper into Beehive soil.
And hopefully, his one million constituents will do the same.
The county mayor announced plans Thursday to plant a million trees in the Salt Lake Valley over the next decade - an ambitious aim that will take about 275 tree-plantings per day - seven days a week, 365 days a year.
"In the end, we'll have a beautiful, green canopy over Salt Lake County that we all can be proud of," said Corroon, overshadowed by a 100-foot London plane tree in Salt Lake City's Liberty Park.
But Salt Lake County isn't spreading that canopy alone. To the contrary, county and city governments will plant only one out of 10 trees envisioned under the program.
The remaining 900,000 trees will come from private plantings by corporations like Kennecott Copper, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and county residents.
While the county is considering greenery incentives - such as discounts at valley nurseries for tree-planters - Environmental Policy Coordinator Ann Ober said the county has forged no agreements.
"For now," she said, "we are just asking people to go out and plant a tree, and plant a tree in the right place."
The county's million-tree Web site - it's scheduled for posting late this month - will detail what constitutes a "right place."
The million-tree campaign already has sprouted other green county initiatives that arborists and municipal leaders describe as equally groundbreaking for the health of the county's foliage.
The county has begun drafting is first tree-care ordinance, and officials hint that they may hire a full-time forester next year.
Mike Marett, an urban forester in Sandy and president of the Utah Community Forest Council, applauded the county for filling a "big void" in the valley's tree-care program.
"To get them to come on board and do it right," he said, "is the most tremendous benefit to this whole thing."
County officials did not provide any cost estimates for million-tree program, but said Rocky Mountain Power and the state have contributed $25,000 and $10,000 respectively in seed money.
Whether it's air quality, energy savings or aesthetics, Corroon said a greener county makes good sense.
"There is no better way to universally improve the lives of all of our citizens than planting trees."
jstettler@sltrib.com" Target="_BLANK">jstettler@sltrib.com