The City of Jamestown celebrated 40 years of being a Tree City USA at Allen Park Thursday. Parks Manager Dan Stone said 10 trees were being planted as part of that recognition, “The four that we will finish off planting shortly were purchased last fall thanks to a grant from the New York State Urban Forestry Council. We were awarded this grant simply because we are a Tree City USA.”
Four of the trees included two ‘Flax-Mill’ Majesty Sugar Maple Trees, which are the state tree, and two ‘Worplesdon’ Sweetgum Trees.
Stone said there are four core standards that must be met to become and maintain being a Tree City USA. The first is to have a tree board, which is fulfilled by the City’s Parks Commission. Stone said the second is to have a tree care ordinance, “Ours was first established in 1981. It was written so well then we still use the same one with very little changes 40 years later. Number three, a Community Forest program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita, which, thanks to our mayor and city council, that is and has been taken care of every year for the last 40 years.”
The fourth requirement is to have an Arbor Day celebration with a proclamation, which was read by Mayor Eddie Sundquist.
A “40 Years of Tree City USA” wood carving was presented at the ceremony. The carving was done by Vince Liuzzo out of wood from one of the West Third Street Oak trees.
The Tree City USA program is sponsored by National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.
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