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Tree City USA Status

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The City of Travelers Rest has been awarded the designation of Tree City USA, an honor given to select cities throughout the country for their outstanding community forestry programs and commitment to their urban forest.

The National Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA program is a nationwide movement that provides the framework necessary for communities to manage and expand urban forestry and public trees. To become a designated Tree City USA, communities must apply each year and meet the four core standards of sounds urban forestry management established for the program. Each community must: maintain a tree board or department; have a community tree ordinance; spend at least $2 per capita on urban forestry; and celebrate Arbor Day.

The Benefits of Trees
The benefits trees provide can be divided into four categories: social, community, environmental, and economic.

Social benefits include:
Making our community a more pleasant and appealing place to live work and play • Trees are comforting to people • Trees help provide a “sense of place”.

Community benefits include:
Screening of objectionable views • Increasing privacy • Reducing glare and reflection • Directing pedestrian traffic • Decreasing auto speeds • Complementing architecture.

Environment benefits include:
Improving the air we breathe • Cooling warm urban areas • Increasing wildlife habitat • Conserving and purifying water • Moderating the effects of the sun, wind and rain.

Economic benefits include:
Energy cost reductions • Increased property values • Storm water mitigation (reduction in the amount of polluted runoff or erosion that reaches the public storm water system) • Erosion control.

Visit the Arbor Day Foundation to learn more about the Tree City USA program.