The non-profit Arbor Day Foundation is recognizing Allentown as a Tree City USA for the 37th year!
The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service. The city received written notification of the award last week.
There are four standards to achieve Tree City USA recognition. The municipality must have a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program with annual expenditures of at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.
“Allentown is pleased and proud to be a Tree USA community continuing a long tradition,” said Mayor Ed Pawlowski. “The city is very serious about its commitment to be a good steward of the environment. Part of that commitment means providing an outstanding level of tree care.”
According to Arbor Day Foundation President Dan Lambe, “Tree City USA communities see an impact an urban forest has in a community first hand. Additionally, recognition brings residents together and creates a sense of community pride, whether it’s through volunteer engagement or public education.”
Trees provide multiple benefits to a community when properly planted and maintained. Among many other benefits, they help to improve the visual appeal of a neighborhood, increase property values, reduce home cooling costs, remove air pollutants and provide wildlife habitat.
The Parks Department will be planting about 50 trees and many shrubs throughout the Parks System in the next two weeks.
The city will be planting 36 trees on Chew Street from Fifth Street to Seventh Street and 46 trees on Turner Street from Fourth Street to Seventh Street as part of two streetscape projects. The Old Allentown Preservation Association will be planting 25 trees on Chew Street from Ninth Street to Tenth Street with assistance from the city of Allentown on Saturday, April 22. The West End Alliance will be planting approximately 60 trees in the next couple of months, also with assistance from the city.
More than 3,400 cities and towns with a combined population of 140 million have been recognized as a Tree City USA community.
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