The City of Indianapolis Recognized By the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA

Indy has been recognized as a Tree City USA for 34 consecutive years.

INDIANAPOLIS – As the nation today marks the 150th annual Arbor Day, the City of Indianapolis celebrates its recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA for the City’s commitment to effective urban forest management. This is the 34th consecutive year that the Urban Forestry team has achieved this designation.
 
The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. Since 1972, the Foundation has planted more than 500 million trees in neighborhoods. The Tree City USA program is one of the Foundation's oldest programs, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. 
 

Indianapolis achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program's four requirements: 

  • Forming a tree board or department

  • Creating a tree-care ordinance

  • Having an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita

  • And an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.


Mayor Joe Hogsett and the Indianapolis Urban Forestry team participated in the Indy Free Tree event on Monument Circle this morning to commemorate Arbor Day. Sponsored by AES Indiana, the event highlighted the benefits of the urban forest and made free saplings available to Indy residents.

Pictures of the event are included below.

"Our trees are very important to our City’s health,” said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. “That’s why we need to preserve and plant more whenever possible. Participation in Arbor Day helps encourage residents to care for trees that will serve our generation and generations to come.”

More information on the program and the full list of recognized cities can be found here.

Mo McReynolds