The City of Richmond Hill, recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation and Tree City USA for being a tree city for the third year in a row, recently celebrated Arbor Day 2016 with a tree planting in Richmond Heights Community Park. In addition to Mayor Harold Fowler, who read a proclamation in observance of Arbor Day, additional attendees included included City Manager Chris Lovell, Assistant City Manager Scott Allison, Park and Tree Department Assistant Director William Bates, and others.

“As a community, we value all the benefits trees bring to us,” said Mayor Fowler. “Trees add beauty to our homes and neighborhoods, increasing their value by 15 percent, conserve energy, and clean the air and rivers.”

At the celebration, City of Richmond Hill officials planted a bald cypress tree, the first of several to be planted in this park to replace trees that had to be removed earlier. This tree will add to the natural beauty of the park, and provide shade to the surrounding community.

The Tree City USA program is a national program providing the framework for community forestry management for cities and towns across America. Communities achieve Tree City USA status by meeting four core standards of sound urban forestry management. These standards include: maintaining a tree board or department, having a tree ordinance, spending at least $2 per year on urban forestry, and celebrating Arbor Day. Participating communities demonstrate a commitment to caring for and managing their public trees.