Burlington recognized as a Tree City of the World

NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF BURLINGTON
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The City of Burlington has been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a Tree City of the World.

This is the second year in a row the City of Burlington has been recognized with this prestigious status for leading the way in urban and community forestry.

To earn Tree Cities of the World recognition, a city must demonstrate its commitment by meeting five program standards: establish responsibility for the care of trees, set rules to govern the management of forests and trees, maintain an updated inventory or assessment of local tree resources, allocate resources for a tree management plan, and hold an annual celebration of trees to educate residents.

In recognition of this designation, a Tree City of the World flag was raised at City Hall this morning.

Some recent examples of the City demonstrating its commitment to program standards include:

• On April 16, Burlington City Council approved the updated Urban Forest Master Plan and Woodland Management Strategy. The Forest Master Plan and Woodland Management Strategy will focus on:
  •  maximizing the life expectancy of trees,
  • increasing canopy cover,
  • managing climate change and invasive pests,
  • expanding opportunities for the community to get involved, and
  • improving data analytics
• On April 20, City staff, BurlingtonGreen and members of the community planted 500 native trees in Pathfinder Park.
• Tomorrow, the City will be hosting its sold-out annual Spring Tree Giveaway, where 500 trees will be given to registrants to plant on their private property.

About the Tree City of the World Program

The Arbor Day Foundation is the world's largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Both organizations came together in 2019 to found Tree Cities of the World. The program is a global effort to recognize cities and towns committed to ensuring that their urban forests and trees are properly maintained, sustainably managed, and duly celebrated.

Planting trees in a metropolitan area comes with many benefits beyond the recognition of this program. Increasing the number of trees in a community can help reduce costs for energy, stormwater management, and erosion control. In addition, the program provides a network of like-minded city leaders in urban forestry to celebrate and share best practices to cultivate greenery in the community. Tree Cities of the World aims to create more green spaces in urban areas by recognizing the cities that do it well.

More information on the program is available here.

About the Arbor Day Foundation

Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation is the world’s largest membership nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees. With a focus in communities and forests of greatest need, the Foundation — alongside its more than 1 million members, supporters and valued partners — has helped to plant nearly 500 million trees in more than 50 countries. Guided by its mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees, the Arbor Day Foundation is committed to unlocking the power of trees to help solve critical issues facing people and the planet. Learn more about the impact of the Arbor Day Foundation here. 

For more information on forestry in Burlington, click here.

Burlington is a city where people, nature and business thrive. Sign up to learn more about Burlington here and follow @CityBurlington on social media.

Quotes

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward – “I am very proud that for the second consecutive year, our city has been honoured as a Tree City of the World by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. From Council’s latest approval of our updated Urban Forest Master Plan and our City’s dedicated Forestry team organizing tree planting events like the recent Spring Tree Giveaway, we continue to actively enhance and protect our natural environment.”

Enrico Scalera, Director of Roads, Parks and Forestry – “I couldn’t think of a better way to observe Arbor Day today than to commemorate this designation. Being recognized as a Tree City for a second year in a row is a great testament to our continued efforts to protect and expand our urban canopy in Burlington. Approving the updated Urban Forest Master Plan and Woodlot Management Strategy earlier this month was a step in a positive direction, and I look forward to working with our community and partners to achieve the targets set out in the updated Urban Forest Master Plan.”

Dan Lambe, Chief Executive of the Arbor Day Foundation – “Trees are important to people, no matter what country they are from or what language they speak. We all want to live in a city that is healthy, resilient, and beautiful – trees serve as a common language to make that possible. Being recognized in the Tree Cities of the World programme means that your city is committing to go above and beyond to define trees as critical green infrastructure for your citizens.”

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