Call him Mr. Tree.

Chesterton Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg was named Urban Forestry Individual of the Year by the Indiana Urban Forest Council and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources for his extraordinary work in maintaining and promoting the town’s urban forestry program.

Chesterton resident, urban forester, and former Town Council member Gina Darnell nominated Schnadenberg for the Urban Forestry Individual of the Year award less than a week after the Aug. 19 tornado, while Schnadenberg and his crews were still knee-deep in debris and saw dust.

From Darnell’s nomination essay: “The birth of a community urban forestry program can start with an event that triggers passions, such as removal of trees. Sometimes it is born of one individual’s passion toward tree planting. But what sustains a community urban forestry program is when someone within the framework of municipal government adopts trees and tree care as a necessary and integral part of public workings. A community is indeed lucky when that person is the head of the department that is charged with the care of public trees.”

As Darnell noted in her essay, Schnadenberg’s contributions to the town’s urban forestry program are many and significant:

•In the mid 1990s he was instrumental in the town’s recognition as a Tree City USA.

•He fostered the drafting of a tree ordinance, committed funds for Arbor Day, and began a program of managed tree care.

•He supported a tree inventory and followed the tree management plan by removing hazard trees, managing “by action, not reaction, lessening damage after storm events.”

•He also supported the creation of a tree care manual for the public.

•He improved the public wood waste and leaf recycling programs, including the upgrade of the waste collection site.

•He applied for grants for chippers, leaf vacuums, and tree planting to “stretch a small municipal dollar.”

•He trained his employees in tree care and equipment safety and in 2008 hosted a regional chainsaw safety seminar.

•He increased the Street Department’s tree budget fivefold.

•Most recently he completed an Emergency Tree Disaster Plan.

And, Darnell added, the Street Department’s efforts in the tornado’s wake were exemplary. The “cleanup efforts in the storm aftermath have been highly praised by all,” she stated. “You will not meet one individual in the Town of Chesterton who is so well loved and respected for the person they are and the job they do.”

Schnadenberg was characteristically modest when contacted by the Chesterton Tribune for comment. “We’ve done a lot as a town for our trees,” he said. “The award was a surprise and it was very much appreciated. It’s been nice over the years working for town councils that have supported our urban forestry program. With Gina’s help, we established a tree inventory which has gone a long way to improving safety. We’ve been able to weed out a lot of hazard trees, eliminating the danger of their falling on people and cars. That’s a positive.”

Schnadenberg also made a point of thanking Darnell for her gracious words in the nomination essay.

Schnadenberg has worked for the Town of Chesterton for 27 years, after joining the Street Department as a laborer in December 1982. Less than three years later, in July 1985, he was named Street Commissioner.

Schnadenberg is a past recipient of the Street Commissioner of the Year award from the Indiana Street Commissioners Association.

Posted 10/19/2009