On Friday April, 29th, Town staff celebrated Barnstable’s designation as a Tree City among students and teachers of the Barnstable West Barnstable Elementary school.
Sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, Tree City USA is an awards program that provides public attention and national recognition for local commitments to community trees and forests. Here in Massachusetts, Tree City is administered by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
Maintaining designation as a Tree City requires annual renewal and observance of Arbor Day with a ceremony among civic leaders and members of the community to plant trees around Town and an official presentation of the Town’s Arbor Day Proclamation.
Establishment as a Tree City enables several benefits including preference for grant applications through the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Urban and Community Forestry Program and promotional items such as flags, road signs and plaques that the Town can proudly boast.
The Town will celebrate Arbor Day rotating alphabetically to a new village every year. Commencing with Barnstable, it was recognized that the Barnstable West Barnstable Elementary School plays a significant role for the citizens of Barnstable. Members of the school gathered to witness and celebrate the planting of a Tupelo tree which was placed by the playground directly behind a bench promising to offer shade for future generations to come.
