United Nations recognizes Burlington’s commitment to trees
Published April 26, 2024 at 12:23 pm
Burlington has again been recognized by a United Nations agency for its dedication to trees.
For the second straight year, Burlington has been acknowledged as a Tree City of the World.
A Tree City designation means the city has met all of the criteria set out by the Arbour Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Foundation of the United Nations
To earn Tree Cities of the World recognition, a city must demonstrate its commitment by meeting five program standards: establish responsibility for the care of trees, set rules to govern the management of forests and trees, maintain an updated inventory or assessment of local tree resources, allocate resources for a tree management plan, and hold an annual celebration of trees to educate residents.
“Trees are important to people, no matter what country they are from or what language they speak. We all want to live in a city that is healthy, resilient, and beautiful – trees serve as a common language to make that possible,” said Dan Lambe, Chief Executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Being recognized in the Tree Cities of the World program means that your city is committing to go above and beyond to define trees as critical green infrastructure for your citizens.”
The Arbor Day Foundation is the world’s largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees and Tree Cities of the World aims to create more green spaces in urban areas by recognizing the cities that do it well.
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Some recent examples of Burlington’s commitment to trees include the approval of the Urban Forest Master Plan that focuses on maximizing the life expectancy of trees and increasing the tree canopy across the city, among other initiatives.
“Being recognized as a Tree City for a second year in a row is a great testament to our continued efforts to protect and expand our urban canopy in Burlington,” said Enrico Scalera, Burlington’s Director of Roads, Parks and Forestry. “Approving the updated Urban Forest Master Plan and Woodlot Management Strategy earlier this month was a step in a positive direction.”
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