For Immediate Release: 5/1/2015 11:13 am
Worcester, MA (May 1, 2015) - Friday, May 1st is Arbor Day, and for the 29th year in a row, Worcester has been named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation in honor of the City's commitment to effective urban forest management.
Worcester also received a Tree City USA Growth Award for demonstrating environmental improvement and higher level of tree care. This is the 16th consecutive year Worcester will receive the Growth Award.
Worcester achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program's four requirements: a tree board or department, a tree-care ordinance, an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day observance proclamation.
The Department of Public Works and Parks continues to support our public trees with an investment of over $160,000 for a new bucket truck, which will arrive by the end of May. They also continue to partner with neighborhood organizations to plant trees across the City, with more than 900 planted in the past fiscal year.
A collaborative effort among the City of Worcester, the Worcester Tree Initiative, the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the US Department of Agriculture has planted over 30,000 new trees since 2008 to replace trees lost to the Asian Longhorned Beetle infestation.
On Friday, May 1st at 10:00 AM, Arbor Day, the Worcester Tree Initiative will host an Arbor Day Celebration during which they will plant 15 new American chestnut trees in Green Hill Park. The trees, donated by the American Chestnut Association, are a blight-free species that is ALB-resistant.
City Manager Ed Augustus will lead the speaking program at the celebration which will be followed by the ceremonial tree planting.
"Trees are an invaluable resource for our community - they beautify our streets and parks, they clean our air and our water and they provide habitat for countless species of animals," Augustus said. "In recent years, we have made the gut-wrenching decisions to remove trees infected by the Asian Longhorned Beetle - decisions that helped save millions of trees across the region. I want to thank the Arbor Day Foundation for again recognizing Worcester's ongoing commitment to being a tree-friendly community."
"Everyone benefits when elected officials, volunteers and committed citizens in communities like Worcester make smart investments in urban forests," said Matt Harris, Chief Executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. "Trees bring shade to our homes and beauty to our neighborhoods, along with numerous economic, social and environmental benefits."
The Arbor Day Celebration is a partnership of the Green Hill Park Coalition, the City of Worcester Parks and Recreation Department, the Worcester Garden Club, Worcester Technical High School and The American Chestnut Foundation.
The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, in partnership with the US Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.
More information is available at www.arborday.org/TreeCityUSA and http://www.treeworcester.org/.
