In 1988, East Lansing was named a Tree City USA for the first time. Now, in 2012, the city is sticking to its roots for its 25th consecutive year as a Tree City USA, a national honor given to communities by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.
“It’s a great honor, in particular because it’s our 25th year that we’ve been able to receive this designation,” said David Smith, environmental specialist for the city of East Lansing. “It shows that not only the city, but our residents have a commitment to the positive aspects of having trees in our community.”
The recognition is given to cities with a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day proclamation. Currently about 3,400 cities in the U.S. are Tree Cities.
East Lansing’s city council declared Arbor Day as April 27, which is National Arbor Day. On April 29, the city will hold a special tree planting event at 2:30 p.m. at Pinecrest Elementary School.
Smith said trees add many benefits to communities including providing oxygen, increasing property values and providing habitats for nesting birds and other wildlife. He said some trees located on parkways even help to reduce speeding on streets.
“They just have a whole lot of biological and aesthetic benefits that help our community,” Smith said.
Kevin Sayers, urban and community forestry coordinator at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said all Michigan communities should be pining to achieve the honor, which this year was given to 121 Michigan cities.
“The program is about helping the community promote their effort at maintaining healthy trees and a way of improving community quality of life,” Sayers said. “This is a visible way to acknowledge that.”
Susan Barnes, a member specialist at the Arbor Day Foundation, said she has personally seen how important it is for communities to be a Tree City USA.
“A lot of people are very proud of how long they have been a Tree City,” she said. “There’s always a sign on your way into town that says you’re a Tree City USA. You can tell it’s something that’s important to them to have that declaration on their community.”
Smith said in recent years, however, East Lansing was hit hard by the emerald ash borer infestation, which has caused the city to shift much of its funding from tree maintenance to the removal of dead trees. He said the city hasn’t been able to plant as many trees in the last few years as it would like to.
Still, East Lansing residents are proud to call a community that has branched out in environmental efforts their home.
“East Lansing certainly has its charm,” Residential College in the Arts and Humanities junior Sam Majeske said. “It’s nice, I’m glad it was given such a distinction.”
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