The Arbor Day Foundation recently announced that the city of Rochester was named a Tree City USA community for its commitment to urban forestry.
It is the first time Rochester has earned this national honor from the Arbor Day Foundation, the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees.
“We are pleased to have received this Tree City USA recognition. It is a nice validation of the things we do as a City to prioritize trees, conservation, and the environment as an important part of life in our community,” said Mayor Jeffrey Cuthbertson.
The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.
Mayor Jeffrey Cuthbertson and Ethel Stepnitz of the City Beautiful Commission.
Photo by Eric Bothwell, City Beautiful Commission.
Participating communities have demonstrated a commitment to caring for and managing their public trees. Together the more than 3,400 Tree City USA communities serve as home to more than 135 million Americans.
Rochester achieved the Tree City USA status by meeting four core standards of sound urban forestry management: maintaining a tree board or department, having a community tree ordinance, spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and celebrating Arbor Day.
The students and staff at St. John Lutheran Elementary along with elected officials will assist City personnel with the planting of a State Street Maple tree on their grounds on Friday, April 25in celebration of Arbor Day
More information about Tree City USA can be found at www.arborday.org/TreeCityUSA.
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