Tree City USA
Encyclopedia
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
planting and tree care program sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation
National Arbor Day Foundation
The Arbor Day Foundation is the world's oldest and largest tree-planting organization. The foundation began September 3, 1971 with a mission "to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees". The Foundation is supported by donations, selling trees and merchandise, and by corporate sponsors...
for cities
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Requirements
To qualify for Tree City USA, a town or city must meet four standards established by the National Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters.- It must establish a Tree Board or Department run by a professional foresterForester250px|thumb|right|Foresters of [[Southern University of Chile|UACh]] in the [[Valdivian forest]]s of San Pablo de Tregua, ChileA forester is a person who practices forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including timber...
or arboristArboristAn arborist, or arboriculturist, is a professional in the practice of arboriculture, which is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants...
, an entire forestry department, or a volunteer tree board that must be legally responsible for the care and management of the community's trees. - It must pass a Tree Care OrdinanceLocal ordinanceA local ordinance is a law usually found in a municipal code.-United States:In the United States, these laws are enforced locally in addition to state law and federal law.-Japan:...
that designates the establishment of a tree board or forestry department and give this body the responsibility for writing and implementing an annual community forestry work plan. Beyond that, the ordinance should be flexible enough to fit the needs and circumstances of the particular community. A tree ordinance provides an opportunity to set good policy and back it with the force of law when necessary. Ideally, it will provide clear guidance for planting, maintaining and removing trees from streetStreetA street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
s, parkParkA park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
s and other public places. - It must establish a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $United States dollarThe United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
2 per capitaPer capitaPer capita is a Latin prepositional phrase: per and capita . The phrase thus means "by heads" or "for each head", i.e. per individual or per person...
with evidence that the community has established a community forestry program that is supported by that annual budget. - It must organize an Arbor Day observance and proclamation with a simple tree planting event or an award ceremony that honors leading tree planters.
Public image
National Arbor Day Foundation states that a community's public image is enhanced by being a Tree City USA and that it makes the community a better place to live and helps attract and keep or conduct business. Further, the Tree City USA signs at community entrances tell visitors that the city or town cares about its environment. They state that it also is an indication to prospective businesses that the quality of life may be better because of trees. It has even been known to be a factor in where meetings or conferences have been held.Community pride
NADF states that that by gaining and retaining Tree City USA recognition, it rewards the tree workers, managers, volunteers, tree board members and others who work on behalf of better care of a community's trees. Non-involved citizens, too, often share a sense of pride that theirs is a Tree City USA. This may translate to better care of trees on private propertyPrivate property
Private property is the right of persons and firms to obtain, own, control, employ, dispose of, and bequeath land, capital, and other forms of property. Private property is distinguishable from public property, which refers to assets owned by a state, community or government rather than by...
or a willingness to volunteer in the future.
Financial assistance
NADF states preference is sometimes given to Tree City USA communities over other communities when allocations of grant money are made for trees or forestry programs. The reason is that there are invariably more requests than available funds when grants are available through state or federal agencies. If requests are equally worthy, some officials tend to have more confidence in communities that have demonstrated the foresight of becoming a Tree City USA.Publicity
NADF states that presentation of the Tree City USA award and the celebration of Arbor Day offer excellent publicityPublicity
Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject. The subjects of publicity include people , goods and services, organizations of all kinds, and works of art or entertainment.From a marketing perspective, publicity is one component of promotion which is one...
opportunities and this results in satisfaction for the individuals involved and their families, but also provides one more way to reach large numbers of people with information about tree care.
See also
- List of Tree Cities USA
- Entente FloraleEntente FloraleThe Entente Florale is an international horticultural competition established to recognise municipalities and villages in Europe for excellence in horticultural displays. Trophies are presented annually by tourist boards and horticultural societies of European countries...
- Britain in BloomBritain in BloomRHS Britain in Bloom, supported by Anglian Home Improvements, is the largest horticultural campaign in the United Kingdom. It was first held in 1963, initiated by the British Tourist Board based on the example set by Fleurissement de France. It has been organised by the Royal Horticultural Society ...
- City of TreesCity of TreesCity of Trees is a nickname for several world cities:*Adelaide, South Australia, Australia*Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States - also known as "Tree Town"*Atlanta, Georgia, United States - also known as "The City in a Forest"*Boise, Idaho, United States...
, page listing cities with this nickname