Dover-Foxcroft among Tree City USA honorees
Twenty Maine municipalities recently received Tree City USA awards, presented by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Project Canopy community forestry program. Tree City USA Awards are earned for commitment to effective urban forest management.
Honored municipalities include Dover-Foxcroft, which has been part of the program for nine years.
Tree City USA communities have met or exceeded four overarching standards:
- Maintaining a tree board or department
- Having a community tree care ordinance
- Investing at least $2 per capita in urban forestry
- Celebrating Arbor Day
Project Canopy encourages communities to develop project proposals that support sustainable community forestry management, increase awareness of the benefits of trees and forests, and increase the health and livability of communities through sound tree planting and maintenance.
Among this year’s Tree City USA recipients, Farmington, Kennebunkport, and Westbrook were recognized for the 45th consecutive year (the Tree City USA Awards program started in 1976).
The newcomer to Maine’s list of Tree City USA achievers is Ellsworth.