According to the Journal Gazette, the Fort Wayne Board of Parks Commissioners approved a five-year plan called Shading Our City: Urban Forest Management Plan. The plan will diversify the types of trees that are planted in the city, protect existing trees, and document the way they are maintained.

Chad Tinkel, Superintendent of Urban Forestry and City Arborist, said the city lost about 17,000 trees since the emerald ash borer, a beetle native to Asia, was introduced to Indiana in 2004. The city has been able to replace about 10,000 of those trees and now, Tinkel says about 97 percent of the treated trees are flourishing.

The board also approved the Stewardship of Public Land policy to govern the sale of park-owned land for private use.

To find out more, visit www.fortwayneparks.org.