Milton is officially a Tree City USA for the 16^th consecutive year – a testament to our community’s commitment, care, and love for trees.

The non-profit Arbor Day Foundation informed Mayor Peyton Jamison about this honor in a letter the City received late last Friday. In that letter, the foundation’s Chief Executive Dan Lambe said, “By prioritizing tree stewardship, you’ve not only helped enhance Milton’s beauty and livability, but you’ve also invested in a healthier, more sustainable future for your residents.”

To become one of the hundreds of cities nationwide to earn this honor, once again, Milton satisfied a number of criteria such as having:

• A City Arborist on staff
• A tree-related City ordinance
• A forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita
• An Arbor Day proclamation and observation

Speaking of the latter, we invite people to Mayfield Park on Saturday, February 22, from 10 to around 11:30 a.m. for our annual Arbor Day event. We’ll plant trees, listen to a tree story, and generally celebrate trees while enjoying snacks and warm beverages, the latter from Caribou Coffee.

Being a Tree City USA reflects Milton’s longstanding priority to appreciate trees as well as do what we can to nurture them in public and private spaces. This includes creating and enforcing the City’s tree canopy ordinance as well as Plant! Milton, our award-winning, multi-faceted campaign aimed at educating, engaging, and encouraging citizens to properly care for trees. You can learn more about it at www.miltonga.gov/PlantMilton. Citizens play a critical role, too, in fostering Milton’s tree-friendly culture.  

“Trees are vital to what makes Milton so beautiful, and they enhance everyone’s quality of life,” said City Arborist Sandra DeWitt. “This Tree City USA honor shows that we are committed, as a community, to helping them thrive.”