There’s an article in this month’s National Arbor Day Foundation newsletter that features a small town in North Dakota alongside New York City.
The article is called “From The Big Apple to a Little-Known North Dakota Town.” It’s a look into two vastly different communities benefiting from the same iconic Arbor Day Foundation program.
The North Dakota community is Sibley, in Barnes County, near Lake Ashtabula. Sibley was founded in 1959 and has a population of 20 people.
According to the Arbor Day newsletter, “Sibley has been a recognized Tree City for 12 consecutive years, and much of the needed tree care happens within Tootsville Park thanks to support from grant funding.
“And while Tree City USA recognition provides cities with a level of credibility and legitimacy when applying for grant dollars, it’s not the only reason they apply each year. Annual recognition is about connecting with the community’s history. One of the first things Sibley’s founders did was plant trees.”
New York, obviously, is in stark contrast to Sibley in many ways. It has 8.65 million people and it boasts hundreds of parks, including Central Park. New York City has received Tree City USA recognition for 28 years in a row and Tree Cities of the World for five years.
Yes, Sibley, North Dakota and New York, New York and quite different, but they have one thing in common, a tireless dedication to caring for their trees.
The National Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA program started in 1976 and has recognized a total of 3,577 cities with 998,000 trees planted.
Numerous communities across North Dakota have been designated Tree City USA through the years and some have been doing it a long time. They include Bismarck, 47 years, Bottineau, 36 years, Cando, 35 years, Devils Lake, 44 years, Dickinson and Ellendale, 31 years, Fargo, 47 years, Jamestown and Carrington, 34 years, Hazen, 37 years, Langdon 39 years, Mandan, 48 years, Valley City, 36 years, Wahpeton, 40 years and Williston, 43 years.
In addition to Sibley, other small communities receiving Tree City USA designation include Arthur, 14 years, Cavalier Air Station, 27 years, Cooperstown, 36 years, Granville, 31 years, Kindred, 3 years, Lakota, 14 years, Lankin, 28 years, McVille, 27 years, New Rockford, 33 years, Pekin, 29 years, Powers Lake, 1 year, Rutland, 7 years, Tower City, 6 years, Walhalla, 27 years, Washburn, 16 years and Wishek, 7 years.
Well done, North Dakota!
To qualify as a Tree City USA community, you must meet four standards established by the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters.
No. 1: A tree board or department has to be established that could include the mayor and/or city council or residents at large.
No. 2: The community must have a public tree care ordinance.
No. 3: A community must have a forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita.
No. 4: An Arbor Day observation and proclamation must be observed.
For some those qualifications can be a challenge, but Sibley has met the challenge time and time again. The locals strongly believe in what they are doing and the progress shows.
Several states have similar state programs, but they don’t match the rapport of the National Arbor Day Foundation, with headquarters located in Lincoln, Neb.
Any community can become a Tree City USA. Just Google “Tree City USA” and a website will pop up with some pertinent information. Meet the four qualifications and your community too can receive the designation.
There isn’t a rule regarding what kind of trees should be planted, but numerous cities encourage the planting of fruit trees such as apple, pear or plum trees.