Stolley Park, (City of Grand Island, Courtesy)
GRAND ISLAND — For an astonishing 38th year, the Arbor Day Foundation has recognized the City of Grand Island as a ‘Tree City USA’ community.
The four overarching standards a community needs to meet to earn the recognition are:
* Maintaining a tree board or department
* Having a community tree ordinance
* Spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry
* Celebrating Arbor Day
The benefits trees can bring to otherwise urban environments like Grand Island include cooler temperatures, cleaner air, higher property values and healthier residents. This year’s recognition puts Grand Island in a group of 3,559 cities honored for following the four-step framework to maintain and grow their tree cover.
The first ‘Tree City USA’ cohort was comprised of 42 cities across 16 states in 1976. The Arbor Day Foundation says it’s been a mission of theirs to have every American live in a ‘Tree City USA’ community.
For more information, please contact Communications Manager Spencer Schubert at spencers@grand-island.com.
