Marietta: Tree City USA

MARIETTA, OH — Tree City USA is a program through the Arbor Day Foundation. Their stated objective is to provide the framework for communities to manage and expand their public trees. Marietta Ohio is a Tree City USA and has been since 1979. The program was started in 1976 so Marietta was an early adopter.

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So Marietta is a Tree City USA, what does that mean exactly? It means that the city has met four standards of sound urban forestry management, maintain a tree board (or department), have a community tree ordinance, spend at least $2 a day per capita on urban forestry and celebrate Arbor Day.

Ken Morrison, Senior Vice President of Morrison Heating and Cooling, is the head member of the Marietta Tree Commission. The commission is made up of two city officials and 9 volunteers, they only have 7 right now. “We’re looking to fill a slot of two people.” They have to be voters within Marietta City limits and, “They have to care about the trees.”

Their goal is to sustain trees on city-owned property or parks. “As far as the planting, care or maintenance, removal, or the replacement of trees.” Anyone interested in joining the Marietta Tree Commission should contact Mayor Josh Schlicher at City Hall, 740-373-1387. They only meet once a month, the first Tuesday of every month, so this isn’t a life-changing commitment.

Anyone thinking about planting trees in their yard should contact the tree commission or show up to a meeting because there are some that shouldn’t be planted around here. “The sweetgum trees, those are the ones that drop the little spiky balls. People trip on them, they clog up the drains, they’re a nuisance.” So they ask folks not to plant them anymore. For more details click here.

Morrison said he wants folks to know that they do work hard to maintain the trees that benefit everybody. “They’re going to clean the air, they’re going to clean the water, they increase the value of the property.” He said if anyone notices a problem with a city tree or has a recommendation about how they should be handled, they should reach out to Marietta Service Director, Steve Wetz.

Either way, trees are a big part of Marietta and they need taken care of. Sometimes we don’t realize how much care they need, or how much we actually need them. Morrison says they play a very important role here, “They’re always catching water, holding water, stopping tremendous runoff and erosion. They clean our water, they clean our air, they’re a huge benefit to everyone in the city.” He asks folks to help take care of the trees as best they can.

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