Arbor Day Foundation Recognizes Denison as a Tree City USA

Denison was named a 2021 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor its commitment to effective urban forest management. To be named a Tree City USA, cities must meet four requirements: 1) forming a tree board or department; 2) having a tree-care ordinance; 3) having an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita; and 4) having an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. 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.

Planting trees in an urban space comes with a myriad of benefits past the recognition of this program. Trees help reduce energy consumption by up to 25%, which will reduce general energy costs and help with the overall cooling of the city as well. In addition, members of the community benefit from properly placed trees as they increase property values from 7-20%. Trees also positively affect the local ecosystem by helping to clean water and create animal habitats to encourage biodiversity.

More information on the program is available at arborday.org/TreeCityUSA.