Is Your Community a "Tree City"?

 

Troy, Ala. has received grants in recent years to plant trees and landscape parts of the downtown, but does not have a tree ordinance, nor a board to monitor such policies.

National Arbor Day is the last Friday in April, although many states observe Arbor Day on different dates (visit arborday.org). Of note this year was the The Home Depot Foundation and the National Arbor Day Foundation (NADF) partnering to plant 1,000 trees in 10 U.S. cities (Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Detroit Miami, Minneapolis, Portland, Sacramento and San Antonio).
Also of note, is the NADF, in conjunction with the National Association of State Foresters, has a program called "Tree City USA." A town or city of any size can acquire this designation by meeting four standards: Have a tree board or department; a tree care ordinance; a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least two dollars per capita; and have an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

Michelle Cole, Alabama’s Tree City USA coordinator, notes the hardest hurdle for a community is developing a tree ordinance. Such ordinances usually dictate how and when trees can be removed and may require developers incorporate green space and trees in their projects. Some community members are concerned that developers are removing too much greenery. Ms. Cole recommends communities study tree ordinances of similar communities and adopt theirs. Troy Mayor Jimmy Lunsford told the local media a tree ordinance is an objective of the city's recently launched developmental plan study.