City Of Fort Worth: Arbor Day Foundation Designates Fort Worth Tree City USA

Press release from City of Fort Worth:

November 02, 2021

Fort Worth was named a 2021 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation in honor of its commitment to effective urban forest management.

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.

Fort Worth 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.

Fort Worth has promoted sound urban forestry practices since 1873, when the city charter declared it illegal to hitch a horse to a tree. The city hired its first arborist in the 1920s. Fort Worth is the oldest and longest running Tree City USA in Texas, a designation the city first received in 1978.

Trees are assets to a community when properly planted and maintained. They help improve the visual appeal of a neighborhood, increase property values, reduce home cooling costs, remove air pollutants and provide wildlife habitat, among many other benefits.

Photo: Celebrating the Tree City USA designation are, left to right: Craig Fox, City of Fort Worth Park & Recreation Department; Wade Chappell, Park Board member; Matt Dufrene, Park Board member; Evey Hull, Park Board member; Jeff Davis, Park Board member; Richard Zavala, City of Fort Worth Park & Recreation Department; Jessica Rangel, Park Board member; Lashanda Davis, Park Board member; Eva Bonilla, Park Board member; Brad Lonberger, Park Board member; and Mike Sills, Texas A&M Forestry Service.

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This press release was produced by City of Fort Worth. The views expressed here are the author’s own.