City of Southlake takes home award for their efforts in maintaining excellence in urban forestry management 23 years in a row. The award was given by The Arbor Day Foundation, which recently recertified the City as a designated 2020 Tree City USA community.

Tree City USA is a program that’s been greening up cities and towns across America since 1976. This program helps provide a framework for communities to manage and expand their public trees, while also celebrating the importance of an urban tree canopy and raising awareness of improving care for these vital trees.

To qualify for Tree City USA status, a community must meet four core standards of sound urban forestry management:

1. Maintaining a tree board or department;
2. Establishing a community tree ordinance;
3. Spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry;
4. Celebrating Arbor Day through a proclamation or observance.

“Public trees are considered an asset which is why caring for and maintaining them is an important task,"  Senior Director of Planning and Development Services Ken Baker said.

To learn more about Tree City USA, please visit the Arbor Day Foundation’s website. For more information about Southlake’s efforts in urban forestry management, please visit the Planning and Development Services website or give us a call at (817) 748-8621.