Arbor Day celebrates the importance and value of trees in our lives. In honor of Arbor Day, the City of Manitowoc’s Forestry Division will be hosting their annual Arbor Day Celebration at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 17th at Madison Elementary School, 701 North 4th Street, Manitowoc. The public is invited to attend the event which will feature Mayor Justin Nickels reading the Arbor Day Proclamation, a reading of The Lorax, and a question and answer session with 4th grade students from Madison Elementary School. A ceremonial planting of trees donated by the Izaak Walton League will follow at Lakeview Park, 301 Huron Street (weather permitting). Grade school students who attend will receive a free tree seedling.
In addition, a representative from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will present the City with its 2024 Tree City USA award at the celebration. This is the 42nd year in a row that the City of Manitowoc has been named a Tree City USA community. The award honors the city’s commitment to effective urban forest management. The National Arbor Day Foundation sponsors the Tree City USA program in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service. To receive this recognition the City of Manitowoc had to meet the four criteria: 1) have an active tree board; 2) have a tree care ordinance; 3) have an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita; and 4) have an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. The City of Manitowoc will also be given its 13th consecutive Growth Award for demonstrating higher levels of tree care and community engagement during the calendar year.
Trees provide multiple benefits to a community when properly planted and maintained. They help to improve the visual appeal of a neighborhood, increase property values, reduce home cooling costs, remove air pollutants and provide wildlife habitat, among many other benefits. Property owners interested in planting or removing a tree in their terrace area (the area between the sidewalk and the street) must complete a permit. For those interested in donating a tree to be planted in a public space, the City of Manitowoc offers a Tree Donation Program where trees can be planted at a park or at Evergreen Cemetery along with an engraved marker.
Contact the City of Manitowoc – Forestry Division at (920) 686-3580 for more details or find additional information by visiting www.manitowoc.org/forestry, following the Manitowoc Parks and Recreation Division or City of Manitowoc on Facebook, or by visiting www.manitowoc.org/notifyme and signing up to receive important information via text message or email. Download the City of Manitowoc app from the App Store or Google Play and click on the Alert Center to subscribe to emergency alerts.