Pueblo Named a Tree City USA for 43 Consecutive Years
PUEBLO – For the 43rd consecutive year Pueblo has been named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor its commitment to effective urban forest management. In celebration of this achievement, Pueblo Parks and Recreation will celebrate Arbor Day at University Park with students from Villa Bella Expeditionary School on Thursday, April 20 at 9:00 a.m.
The Arbor Day Celebration includes a proclamation read and presented to Director of Curriculum and Instruction Jessica Ortiz and Villa Bella students by Pueblo City Council District 2 Representative Larry Atencio, and the announcement of the Villa Bella Arbor Day poster contest winner. The top three winners of the contest will receive a tree of their own to plant, donated by the Pueblo Parks and Recreation Department. The celebration will be concluded by planting a Horse Chestnut tree by the poster winners near the playground at University Park.
“We’re thrilled to see Arbor Day celebrated with the kindergarten classes of Villa Bella Expeditionary School and to continue our tradition of instilling a love of trees and teaching them to be stewards of our land,” said Parks Supervisor Mike Taft. “We look forward to including members of our community, but it is even more fun when children get involved.”
The Pueblo Parks and Recreation Department has made the Arbor Day celebration a tradition throughout Pueblo for over 20 years. The Tree City USA program began in 1976 by the National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. The program provides direction, technical assistance, public attention, and national recognition for urban and community forestry programs in thousands of towns and cities across the Unites States. The City of Pueblo has been a proud Tree City USA community for 43 consecutive years.
Planting trees in urban spaces comes with a myriad of benefits past the recognition of this program. Urban tree planning help reduce energy consumption by up to 25%, which will reduce general energy costs and help with the overall cooling of the city as well. In addition, members of the community benefit from properly places trees as they increase property values from 7-20%. Trees also positively affect the local ecosystem by helping to clean water and create animal habitats to encourage biodiversity.
For more information about the Arbor Day celebration at University Park with Villa Bella Expeditionary School please visit www.pueblo.us/parks or by calling 719-553-2790.
About the Arbor Day Foundation
Founded in 1972, The Arbor Day Foundation has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with more than one million members, supporters and valued partners. Since 1972, almost 500 million Arbor Day Foundation trees have been planted in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to lead toward a world where trees are used to solve issues critical to survival.
As one of the world’s largest operating conservation foundations, the Arbor Day Foundation, through its members, partners and programs, educates and engages stakeholders and communities across the globe to involve themselves in its mission of planting, nurturing and celebrating trees. More information is available at www.arborday.org.
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