Members of Kalispell’s Street Tree Commission are recognizing fortune in foliage this Arbor Day, but they also see a lot of work to do in dealing with the city’s aging tree population.

“With the positive, there have been many challenges to overcome,” commissioner Andrea Davidson said during a presentation to the city council.

On Monday, Davidson announced that the city of Kalispell has spent nearly three decades as a Tree City USA. The distinction is given by the Arbor Day Foundation.

Columbia Falls and Whitefish also share the designation, but Kalispell has had it longer. It’s behind only Billings and Great Falls in that department.

Kalispell has been a Tree City USA for 29 years. The first recognition coincided with the city’s passage of a street tree ordinance that created the commission to oversee the elms, pines and other varieties.

That’s also the length of time Bette Albright has served on the commission. She said that they’re proud of Kalispell’s trees as a resource, aesthetically and practically.

But a main challenge lies in the removal and replacement of trees. Albright said that the city is losing trees more quickly than they are being planted.

Insects and disease have killed over 500 trees in Kalispell, Davidson said on Monday. Elm trees in particular have been susceptible to disease. Others are simply old — many around a century.

Albright looks at it as a safety concern, and the money isn’t always there to remove every tree that could fall.

“That’s a problem because they’ve now become a liability,” she said. “It takes money to cut the trees down and haul them away.”

Davidson said that about 70 trees were removed by the city last winter. Around 100 dead elm trees still stand.

When trees are removed, they aren’t being replaced evenly. That’s partly because trees may die and be removed in chunks, making it hard to keep up. It’s also due to budgetary reasons.

“To plant trees is expensive, too,” Albright said. “They like to plant a tree that’s about 2 1/2 inches across the center.”

Those tend to be sturdy trees, but she said they can run about $250 each. In the current budget, the city designated $2,500 to deal specifically with Dutch Elm Disease. An additional $7,500 was dedicated to dealing with trees more broadly.

Today, local third-grade students are helping plant five trees — one for each elementary school in Kalispell. A sixth tree for the city of Kalispell will be planted among the others at Lawrence Park.

This Arbor Day Celebration marks 29 years of official tree awareness by the city of Kalispell. Albright hopes that more events will help to increase the scope of local tree health.

“We’re hoping to continue this Arbor Day celebration every year,” she said.