For Immediate Release: 4/26/2018 5:15 pm
For the 32nd consecutive year, the City of Worcester has earned Tree City USA recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation in honor of its commitment to effective urban forest management.
“The City is proud to once again be recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation for our longstanding commitment to our urban forest,” said City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. “Trees are especially meaningful to the people of Worcester with what we’ve been through over the last 10 years in our fight against the Asian Longhorned Beetle.”
The City of Worcester will host its annual Arbor Day celebration at Institute Park on Friday, April 27 at 10 a.m. The event will include a speaking program and a ceremonial tree planting.
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 and proclamation.
Tree Cities are cities that show exemplary commitments to their urban forest and must reapply to the Arbor Day Foundation every year for this designation. The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.
More information on the program is available at arborday.org/TreeCityUSA.
“Tree City USA communities see the impact an urban forest has in a community first hand,” said Dan Lambe, President of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Additionally, recognition brings residents together and creates a sense of community pride, whether it’s through volunteer engagement or public education.”
