TREE CITYUSA Frequently Asked Questions
■What is TREE CITYUSA?
TREE CITYUSA is a national Awards Program for cities and towns in the United Stateswhich recognizes towns and cities for their commitment to quality tree care. TREE CITY USA Award designation recognizes communities across the United States with a documented commitment to an outstanding, comprehensive urban forestry program. The TREE CITY USA Awards Programis sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Association of State Foresters.
The TREE CITY USA Awards Program provides the essential foundation,
framework, and structure for the development and implementation of urban forestry programs in communities throughout the United States. TREE CITY USA Award designation also provides recipient communities with direction, professional education, technical assistance, public attention,and state and national recognition for the community’s urban forestry programs.
■How many TREE CITYUSA communities are there in the United States? 3,402
■Which state has the most TREE CITYUSA communities?
Ohio, with 249 communities.
The, Largest TREE CITYUSA Community: New York City, New York!
The Smallest TREECITY : Kaena Point Satellite Tracking Station, Hawaii
■How many TREE CITYUSA communities are there in New Hampshire?
24, Alstead, Berlin, Claremont, Concord, Dover, Durham, Franconia, Franklin, Hanover, Keene, Laconia, Lebanon, Lyme, Manchester, Meredith, Nashua, Newbury, New London, Orford, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Rochester, Tilton, and Wolfeboro.
■How long has New Hampshire participated in the TREECITYUSA Awards Program?
Thirty-one years, since 1978 when Durham became the first New Hampshire TREE CITY USA Award-winning Community.
■How long have New Hampshire TREE CITY USA communities participated in the TREE CITY USA Awards Program?
Alstead – 7 years**
Berlin – 2 years
Claremont – 11 years
Concord – 18 years**
Dover – 15 years
Durham – 31 years**
Franconia – 10 years
Franklin – 10 years
Hanover – 30 years**
Keene – 30 years**
Laconia – 19 years
Lebanon – 5 years**
Lyme – 12 years
Manchester – 23 years
Meredith – 17 years**
Nashua – 11 years
Newbury – 4 years**
New London – 23 years**
Orford – 7 years**
Plymouth – 21 years
Portsmouth – 10 years
Rochester – 10 years**
Tilton – 3 years**
Wolfeboro – 27 years**
**Consecutive Years
■What must a community do to qualify as a TREECITYUSA Award-Winning Community?
To qualify for the TREE CITY USA Awards Program, a town or city must meet four standards established by the National Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters. These standards were established to ensure that every qualifying community would have a viable tree management plan and program. And, importantly, the standards were designed so that no community would be excluded because of size.
The Four Standards for Qualifying TREE CITYUSA Award-Winning Communities are:
1. A Tree Board or Department. Someone must be legally responsible for the care and management of all public trees in a city or town. Examples include the Public Works Department, Parks & Recreation Department, Conservation Commission, Town or City Tree Warden, City or Town Arborist or Forester.
2. A Tree Care Ordinance. The tree care ordinance must designate the establishment of a city or town public works department, urban forestry department, or similar department entity and assign this department or board responsibility for writing and implementing an annual city/town urban forestry work plan. The tree care ordinance provides clear guidance and responsibility for planning, planting, maintaining, and removing trees from streets, parks, cemeteries, commons, and other public community spaces.
3. An Urban and Community Forestry Program with an Annual Budget of at Least $2.00 per Capita. Evidence is required that the city or town has established an urban forestry program that is supported by an annual budget (calendar year) of at least $2 per capita. Qualifying expenditures include tree planting, tree maintenance, tree removal, tree inventory, insect and disease management, tree pruning, tree purchases, in-house and/or contract personnel, contractual services, and equipment maintenance and purchase.
4. An Arbor Day Observance and Proclamation. An Arbor Day celebration can be a simple tree planting event at a school or other setting or a community-wide, day-long celebration of trees to educate a diverse audience about the importance of tree planting and tree care. A community must also issue an official Arbor Day Proclamation.
All communities must annually meet the four standards referenced above; the four standards are also described on the National Arbor Day Foundation’s website: http://www.arborday.org/programs/treeCitystandards.cfm.
■Who sponsors the TREECITYUSA Awards Program?
The TREE CITY USA Awards Program is sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.
■How many other New England states participate in the TREECITYUSA Awards Program? 5,Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
■How many TREE CITYUSA Award-winning communities are there in New England right now? 167
Massachusetts, 91; New Hampshire, 24; Maine, 16; Connecticut, 15; Rhode Island,
11; and Vermont, 10.
■How many New Hampshire TREE CITYUSA communities successfully earned TREE CITYUSA Growth Awards? 3 - Meredith, Nashua, and Plymouth. This year 541 communities nationwide received TREE CITY USA Growth Awards – the most since the program began in 1991.
■What is the TREECITYUSA Growth Award?
The TREE CITY USA Growth Award is presented to TREE CITY USA Award- winning communities that go beyond the four standards of the TREE CITY USA Awards Program by undertaking activities that demonstrate improvement, growth, and achievements resulting in higher levels of tree care. The TREE CITY USA Awards Program provides the basis for urban forestry programs in cities and towns. The TREE CITY USA Growth Award Program encourages urban forestry program expansion in cities and towns. A community may be eligible for the TREE CITY USA Growth Award if it is a TREE CITY USA for at least a second consecutive year and has spent at least as much on its community tree program the second year as it did the first year. Qualifying community activities must be completed by the community during the year for which the community applies for both the TREE CITY USA and the TREE CITY USA Growth Awards.
Communities in forty-seven states met the criteria for the Growth Award this year!!!
■What is the special Sterling Award TREE CITYUSA Designation?
A TREE CITY USA Award-winning community wins the Sterling TREE CITY USA Award after participating in the TREE CITY USA Growth Awards Program for ten years.
■How many Sterling TREE CITYUSA Award Communities are there in the United States this year? 37.
■How many Sterling TREE CITYUSA Award Communities are there in New England? 3, Meredith, New Hampshire (since 2005); Sturbridge, Massachusetts (since 1995); and Andover, Massachusetts (new 2008).
■How many New Hampshire utilities have successfully earned the TREE LINE USA Utility Award this year? One, National Grid received the only TREE LINE USA Utility Award in New Hampshire for the ninth consecutive year.
■What is the TREE LINE USA Utility Award Program ?
The TREE LINE USA Utility Award Program is sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters. The TREE LINE USA Utility Award Program recognizes public and private utilities across the nation that demonstrate excellence in utility vegetation management and safety practices which help America’s utilities demonstrate practices that protect and enhance America’s urban forest. These practices include: adopting quality tree care work practices*** and national standards in compliance with the ANSI A300 Standards; documenting annual worker training for both utility employees and contract employees; and tree planting, public education programs, and annual Arbor Day events sponsored by the utility. The TREE LINE USA Utility Award Program promotes the goals of dependable local utility services and healthy trees along the streets and highways in American cities and towns. Utilities that meet the three requirements of this program are publicly recognized for their contribution to better urban forests.
***Quality tree care practices include avoiding: tree topping and tree tipping, removing branch bark ridges, and leaving long branch stubs. A utility must have practices in place for tree pruning similar to methods prescribed by Dr. Alex L. Shigo. For trenching and tunneling near trees, quality tree care practices must reduce the destruction of roots and injury to trees. The utility must provide educational information to its workers and contractors on proper trenching and tunneling.
TREE LINE USA Utility Award Program Requirements:
Each utility that receives the TREE LINE USA Utility Award recognition must meet the following three standards:
1. Quality Tree Care: Adopt pruning practices that eliminate tree topping; and adopt policies for tunneling
rather than trenching near high value trees.
2. Annual Worker Training: Implement and document an annual tree care training program for utility crews; mail tree care information to all utility customers at least once per year; and hire a utility forester or arborist or designate a professional to serve in that capacity.
3. Tree Planting and Public Education: Spend a minimum of $0.10 per customer on annual city or town tree planting projects and customer educational mailings about trees; and sponsor/participate in annual city or town Arbor Day programs and celebrations.
■How many TREE LINE USA Utility Award-Winning Utilities are there in the United States this year? 148.
■How many New England utilities have successfully earned the TREE LINE USA Utility Award? 4, Central Vermont Public Service; National Grid; NSTAR Electric; and Vermont Electric Power Company.
Massachusetts: 2 – National Grid; and NSTAR Electric.
Vermont: 3 – Central Vermont Public Service; National Grid; and Vermont Electric Power Company.
New Hampshire: One – National Grid.
Rhode Island: One – National Grid.
■TREE CITYUSA and TREE LINE USA Utility Awards Programs -- are nationwide programs that recognize communities and utilities for their commitment to quality tree care. These programs provide the essential foundation, framework, and structure for the development and implementation of urban forestry programs in communities throughout the United States. The TREE CITY USA and TREE LINE USA Utility Awards Programs are sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.
For more information, please contact:
Mary K. Reynolds, Urban Forester
New Hampshire Department of Resources & Economic Development
Division of Forests and Lands
PO Box 1856 – 172 Pembroke Road
Concord, NH 03302.1856
Telephone: 603.271.2215 x325
Email: Mary.Reynolds@dred.state.nh.us
www.nhdfl.org
THE NEXT DEADLINE FOR THE TREECITYUSA AWARDS PROGRAM APPLICATION IS DECEMBER 31, 2009 (due date December 31st of every calendar year).