Tree commission reports, Fort Wayne receives Tree City USA recognition, growth award

Mayor Tom Henry was joined by Manager of Forestry Operations Chad Tinkel, members of the Tree Commission, Saint Joseph Catholic School Children,Trees Indiana and Easter Seals Arc as they celebrated Arbor Day at Buckner Park today.

“Our trees are one of Fort Wayne’s remarkable assets,” said Mayor Tom Henry. “They clean our air, keep us cool, dampen noise and beautify our world. To keep them working hard for us, they need our attention. While many cities are cutting their tree programs, I am committed to finding other funding sources that will help us preserve our exceptional urban forest and keep our trees great, green and growing.”

Mayor Henry announced that Fort Wayne has been named a ‘Tree City USA’ for the 20th year in a row. This designation was earned for tree canopy stewardship and a continued commitment to a green city. In addition, Fort Wayne earned a Growth Award from the National Arbor Foundation for a higher standard of forestry management of the City’s 80,000 trees.

Before the planting of the ceremonial tree, Tinkel reported on some recommendations of the City’s community-wide Tree Commission. The Commission’s objective was to perform a comprehensive review of Fort Wayne’s urban forest and provide recommendations to Mayor Henry.

One of the Commission’s recommendations was to improve storm response. The Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department received the Make Your Trees Count—Urban Forest Conservation Grant and will utilize the funding for an Urban Forestry Storm Response and Recovery Plan that will be part of the City’s Emergency Response Plan.

“In addition, the management of the forestry division has been restructured to improve efficiency and increase productivity,” said Tinkel. “In 2009, we pruned 7,681 street trees, 896 more trees than in 2008.”

The Mayor announced the approval of a Tree Advisory Board to continue the work of the Tree Commission. The Board will be composed of public and private citizens and should be operating by the end of the year. It will be independent of any City Department, established by City Ordinance and report its findings directly to the Mayor and Park Director at least once a year.

More information about Tree City USA can be found at www.arborday.org/TreeCityUSA . The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit, environmental, and education organization of nearly one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at www.arborday.org .