DES MOINES – Every year the Urban Forestry Awards luncheon recognizes cities, college campuses and utilities that demonstrate a variety of dedication to the importance of trees in their respective communities.
Awards will be presented April 12th at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny, on behalf of the Arbor Day Foundation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. A full list of award winners follows.
Tree City USA Award – To qualify for the Tree City USA award, a city must have either a city forester or an active city tree board, have a tree ordinance, spend at least $2 per capita annually for its community forestry program, and have a tree planting and maintenance plan.
The award recipients are Adel, Ames, Arnolds Park, Atlantic, Badger, Belle Plaine, Bettendorf, Bondurant, Boone, Burlington, Carroll, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Clarinda, Clarksville, Clinton, Clive, Coralville, Council Bluffs, Dallas Center, Davenport, Decorah, Denison, Denver, Des Moines, DeWitt, Dubuque, Dysart, Fort Dodge, Gladbrook, Glenwood, Greene, Grimes, Hampton, Harlan, Hiawatha, Hopkinton, Hudson, Indianola, Iowa City, Jefferson, Johnston, Keystone, Livermore, Luxemburg, Manchester, Maquoketa, Marion, Marquette, Muscatine, Nevada, Newton, North Liberty, Odebolt, Oelwein, Onawa, Oskaloosa, Ottumwa, Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Red Oak, Rock Rapids, Sioux City, Story City, Tipton, Urbandale, Van Horne, Washington, Waterloo, Waverly, Webster City, West Des Moines, and Winterset.
Tree City USA Growth Award – To qualify for the Tree City USA Growth award, cities must provide education and public relations, partnerships, planning and management, and tree planting and maintenance in their community.
The award recipients, which were also recipients of the Tree City USA award, are Bettendorf, Bondurant, Burlington, Clarinda, Clinton, Coralville, Des Moines, Dysart, Hiawatha, Iowa City, Johnston, Marion, Marquette, Mason City, Oelwein, Polk City, Story City, Waverly and Winterset.
Tree City of the World - Recognition through the Tree Cities of the World program represents the first step toward achieving a green vision for your city. To receive recognition, a town or city must meet five core standards: responsibility for the care of trees, official policy that governs the management of forests and trees, updated inventory or assessment, a dedicated annual budget for the routine implementation of the tree management plan and an annual celebration of trees.
Burlington is this year’s award recipient.
Tree Campus USA Award – To qualify for the Tree Campus USA award, a campus must have a campus Tree Advisory Committee, a tree care plan, a tree program with dedicated annual expenditures, an annual Arbor Day observance and a service learning project to engage the student body.
The award recipients are Clarke University, Devine Word College, Drake University, Hawkeye Community College, Iowa State University, Kirkwood Community College and the University of Iowa.
Tree Line USA Award – To qualify for the Tree Line USA award, a utility must meet five minimum requirements, including quality tree care, annual worker training, tree planting and public education, a tree-based energy conservation program and an annual Arbor Day celebration.
The award recipients are Alliant Energy, MidAmerican Energy and Waverly Utilities.