Green investments

The state of Alabama has 82 communities that hold the title of “Tree City USA.” These communities have a tree commission, tree care ordinance and community forestry program, invest in tree maintenance and planting, and observe Arbor Day each year. 

They’re the ones who speak for the trees.

“A tree’s not ever going to call the mayor’s office. The tree’s not going to do that, so we have to think about the trees,” said Dale Dickenson, urban forestry coordinator for the Alabama Forestry Commission. “Being a Tree City USA ensures we think of the trees.”

Hoover is one of Alabama’s 82 “tree cities” and has been for almost 20 years. 

Tree City USA is a national recognition program sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and National Association of State Foresters. The program turned 40 years old last year, Dickenson said, and has a goal of not only beautifying communities, but also educating and raising awareness about the importance of trees.

“The Tree City USA program is part of the system to say, ‘Hey trees are important. We care about our trees, and we think they should be funded,’” Dickenson said. 

Hoover first gained Tree City recognition in 1999, shortly after urban forester Colin Conner came on staff.

“Since the Arbor Day Foundation started the Tree City USA program, it’s kind of been known as a building block program for cities to begin developing their urban forestry program,” Conner said. When he noticed Hoover was not involved, he said he made it a goal to change that.

The program has four requirements — a tree commission, tree care ordinance, community forestry program and annual Arbor Day program — that Conner said help bolster and build the city’s urban forestry department. 

Even if the only requirement was education through Arbor Day, however, Conner said the program would be a benefit to Hoover.

Around Arbor Day, fourth-grade students in Hoover City Schools participate in an essay contest in which they write about the holiday. There are also educational events at all 10 Hoover schools.

“Just thinking about the work we’ve been doing since 1999 annually in the schools … we visit 10 schools each year to celebrate Arbor Day, and during those visits, the celebrations can range from a class of students to a grade level, and in years past, we’ve actually celebrated with the entire student body,” Conner said. 

This not only instills a love of trees in the next generation, but it can sometimes impact career choices. When speaking to students at Auburn University, Conner said he has encountered individuals who grew up in Hoover and credit Arbor Day celebrations with their career choice.

To maintain Tree City status, a city must have a community forestry program that spends $2 per capita on trees in a fiscal year. This funding not only supports “green infrastructure,” Dickenson said, but also signals that trees are important to citizens and, therefore, state and national funds should go toward trees.

“That’s not $2 additional, and that’s not $2 that necessarily has to come out of the city coffers,” Dickenson said. “That’s $2 per person that has to be used on trees within the city limits.”

Even with a population around 84,000 — and a spending requirement of around $170,000 — Hoover has no problem reaching the number, Conner said. The salaries of two full-time staffers and the cost of tree plantings, landscape rehabilitation, hazard tree removal and other projects go toward that budget.

“We’ve always managed to exceed that budget requirement,” Conner said.

Tree City USA also requires an ordinance relating to tree care, which helps keep trees healthier and individuals safer, Dickenson said. 

“The recognition, it makes sure people are aware and taking care of their trees — spending the minimum amount to keep people safe — and information,” Dickenson said. “’Right tree in the right place’ is, in urban forestry, what you hear said a lot.”

Planting trees in the right place can help the trees be healthier and keep the surrounding area safer — the trees won’t grow into sidewalks, disrupt sewer lines or cause other issues, he said, and they will be stronger and thereby less likely to fall in the event of a storm.

The only time he hears negative feedback on trees, Conner said, is after a big storm. That’s normally when people have seen trees cause damage and either want to take them down or have more inspections. 

“They’re almost always positive about trees,” he said. “I think our participation in the Tree City USA program is not widely publicized. It’s not something a lot of people know about, but they know trees are important in the community.”

Citizens want to see trees protected, Conner said, and see properties regain greenery after development. Concerns about trees and green spaces, he added, have risen in the last few years.

“There have been some times when it was seemingly less important, but I think in the last few years, I have heard more in that conversation,” Conner said. “That may be a regional or even a national trend, but I honestly think that concern has grown.”

Dickenson said ordinances can serve as a proactive measure regarding appropriate development and landscaping. Hoover has had an ordinance on the books since 1996 — three years before it became a Tree City USA — and has worked to strengthen it over the years. By updating it, he said the city is able to keep up with trends and ensure greenery is preserved. 

Even if Hoover was not part of the program, Conner believes trees would be a part of the city’s planning and a part of citizen conversations. The benefit of having a direct requirement to invest in trees and Arbor Day, he said, is undeniable.

“The biggest benefit of Tree City USA is what we’re doing in the schools. It’s safe to assume that if we weren’t participating in Tree City USA, the city would not have so much hands-on, pro-tree involvement in the school system,” he said.

For more information about Tree City USA, go to arborday.com/treecityusa.

Tree City USA requirements

In order to become a community recognized by Tree City USA and to retain that title, a city must meet four standards:

► A tree board or department. An entity must be legally responsible for the care of all trees on city- or town-owned property. This can include a professional forester, arborist, city department, citizen-led tree board or some combination.

► A tree care ordinance. This ordinance establishes the tree board or forestry department, or both, in addition to assigning the task of creating and completing a plan of work for annual tree care activities. Ideally, this would also include guidance for planting, maintaining and removing trees.

► A community forestry program with a budget of at least $2 per capita. This can go toward planting, care and removal of trees as well as planning efforts for those actions.

► An Arbor Day observance and proclamation. An annual Arbor Day ceremony should bring community members together, include an Arbor Day proclamation and can either be an all-day or all-week observation.

- Informationfrom the Arbor 

Day Foundation