The City of Manitowoc’s Arbor Day Celebration will take place at 12:45 p.m. on Friday, April 29th, 2016, in the City Hall Council Chambers, 900 Quay Street. The event is open to the public and includes a short program, which features a reading of an excerpt of "The Lorax" followed by a ceremonial tree planting near the riverfront. Grade school students who attend will receive a free tree seedling.

At the celebration, the 2015 Tree City USA award will be presented to the City of Manitowoc. This is the thirty-third 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 also received a Tree City USA Growth Award for demonstrating environmental improvement and higher level of tree care. Some of the activities completed in 2015 to earn the award included: working with Grow It Forward, Inc. in the construction of the Community Garden at the South 14th Street Park, where 128 trees were planted and wood chips from street tree removals were used, creating a non-lapsing forestry fund for urban forestry operations from the proceeds of firewood sales, and significantly improving forestry policies by creating a tiered priority system.

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. Anyone interested in planting or removing a tree in the terrace area (the area between the sidewalk and the street) must complete a free permit. Go to www.manitowoc.org, click on Departments, Parks and Recreation, and Forestry for more information.

Questions regarding the Arbor Day Celebration or tree permits can also be answered by contacting the City of Manitowoc Parks Division at 920-686-3580.