The City of Sarasota has been named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for the 32nd year in a row. The 2017 Tree City USA award recognizes the City’s commitment to maintaining and expanding a healthy tree canopy in Sarasota. Sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters, the Tree City USA Program honors more than 3,400 cities with this distinction based on four requirements. The city must have (1) a tree board or department, (2) a tree care ordinance, (3) an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita and (4) an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. The City of Sarasota meets those requirements and goes beyond them, supporting innovative programs like the Community Canopy Project, offering trees to residents at no cost. In the end, maintaining a healthy tree-line not only improves the visual appeal of the City’s neighborhoods, but also increases property values, decreases energy bills and protects the environment.

Tree City USA