April 17, 2019

City of Port Clinton was recognized as a Tree City USA today in the Northwest Ohio awards ceremony hosted by the Village of Crestline and their Tree Commission.  This is the 30th time our community has been honored with this nationally recognized award.

The awards were presented to the Tree City and Tree Campus USA communities by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry.  Featured speaker, Dr. David Kramer of OSU Mansfield, shared the historical significance of the Ohio buckeye tree. John Chapman, AKA Johnny Appleseed portrayed by Crawford County Park District Director Josh Dyer, also made an appearance to congratulate the awardees.

The title of Tree City USA was bestowed upon our community for its ongoing efforts to maintain and improve quality of life through a comprehensive tree management program.  The program is guided by the Tree Commission and the municipal government.

The Ohio DNR, Division of Forestry’s Urban Forestry Assistance Program acts as a guiding hand in helping a community to become qualified as a Tree City USA.  The Regional Urban Forester recommends a community to the Arbor Day Foundation for this standing.  In order to achieve the title and the honors, a community must meet four standards:

• A Tree Ordinance
• An active Tree Commission or forestry department
• A comprehensive urban forestry program supported by a minimum of two dollars per capita
• An annual Arbor Day proclamation and public observance.

Ohio boasts the greatest number of Tree Cities in the country and marks Ohio’s 42^nd consecutive year as the top Tree City USA state, according to the Ohio Division of Forestry.  Fifty Northwest Ohio’s communities are Tree Cities and two universities are honored as Tree Campus USAs (Ohio Northern University and the University of Findlay.) All were recognized for their achievements at the awards ceremony in Crestline.

For additional information about the Tree City USA program or the Arbor Day Foundation, visit www.arborday.org.