The Tree City USA program, founded in 1976, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2016. This program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with NASF and the USDA Forest Service (USFS).
This national program is helping state forestry agencies meet the urban and community forestry goals outlined in each Forest Action Plan.
A Tree City USA designation results in major public benefits!
Homes with trees as part of their landscaping are worth more. A USFS study found homes with trees between the sidewalk and street sold for $7,130 more on average than homes that didn’t have trees by the street. What’s more, neighboring homes see their home values boosted more than $1,600, even though the trees aren’t on their property!
Trees can also make shoppers happy, leading to increase sales and positive economic impact. A study published in the Journal of Forestry found that surveyed shoppers viewed retail locations with trees to be more appealing than those without, and were willing to spend more for goods and services where trees were present.
Learn more about how your community can become a Tree City at www.arborday.org/TreeCityUSA and join the anniversary conversation on social media using the hashtag #TreeCityUSA40