SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Tree City USA program – celebrating its 32^nd year nationwide – is recognizing 188 Illinois communities with Tree City USA designation for managing their local community forest resources for enhanced citizen safety and welfare.  For more than a decade, Illinois has ranked second in the nation for the number of communities participating in the Tree City USA program.

“The Tree City USA program recognizes urban and community forestry as a part of a $4.7 billion industry in Illinois,” Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Acting Director Sam Flood said.  “Tree City USA is an important and highly sought after designation.  We applaud these communities for their dedication to maintaining healthy community forests.”

The Tree City USA program promotes tree planting and care programs in urban areas and calls public attention to the economic, health, and aesthetic benefits trees offer.  Citizen participation in community reforestation and beautification efforts is encouraged through the program.  Tree City USA provides program support to communities to assist in the battle against exotic invasive species such as the emerald ash borer.

“Historically, Illinois Tree City USA communities spend more than $83 million collectively on tree planting and tree care,” said IDNR Program Administrator Reinee Hildebrandt.  “With the emerald ash borer, municipalities are searching for new ways for tree planting initiatives and new technologies for urban forest management.”

To be eligible to participate in the Tree City USA program, a community must legally designate a city official or volunteer tree advocate as having authority over the management and care for the urban forest.  A second standard is to have a community tree ordinance that specifically recognizes the designated tree authority and identifies urban forest management and tree care standards by which the community will abide.  As a third criterion, the community must expend $2 per resident for its urban forestry program.  Illinois communities have expended an average of $11.50 per capita – an amount well over the national standard.  The final requirement is to conduct an annual Arbor Day tree planting ceremony with an official Arbor Day proclamation being developed for announcing the day of the celebration.

In Illinois, first year participants in Tree City USA include Cary, Olympia Fields and Sleepy Hollow.  Other milestone communities include Five Year Awards to Broadview, Riverwoods and Stockton; Ten Year Recognition to Barry, Dakota, DeKalb, Gridley, Homewood, Lincolnwood, O’Fallon, Prospect Heights, River Forest and St. Charles; Fifteen Year Recognition to Belleville, Lanark, Libertyville, Palos Park, Petersburg, Scott Air Force Base, Tower Lakes and Winnetka; Twenty Year Recognition to Addison, Bensenville, Buffalo Grove, Mount Carroll and Moweaqua, Palos Hills, Springfield and Taylorville; and, Twenty Five Year Recognition to Collinsville and LaGrange.

This year, 49 Tree City USA communities will receive a “Growth Award” to recognize additional efforts that are being accomplished to improve basic urban forestry programs.  First-year Growth Award recipients are the communities of Lincolnwood, McHenry, Riverwoods and Zion.  The Ten Year Growth Award – known as the Silver Certificate milestone – was reached by Mount Vernon.

The National Arbor Day Foundation annually provides Growth Award participants with a plaque decorated with a Growth Award Banner and Tree City logo.  To qualify for a Growth Award, a community previously must have been designated a Tree City USA participant, conduct a variety of urban forestry activities, and spend at least the same amount of money on its program as during the previous year.  Illinois ranks first in the nation for the number of Tree City USA Growth Award communities.  The City of Chicago, with 17 years of participation, holds the record for the Illinois community with the most number of years receiving the Tree City USA Growth Award.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation and the IDNR Urban and Community Forestry Program, in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.  Through the Urban and Community Forestry Program, the IDNR offers communities technical and financial assistance in urban forestry efforts.  Information is available through the IDNR Springfield office.

The annual application deadline for the Tree City USA program is Dec. 31.  This year’s awards will be presented on March 25 in Springfield.  The Southwestern Resource and Conservation Development, Inc. is a co-sponsor the Springfield event.

A list of this year’s Tree City USA award winners is below.

TREE CITY USA RECIPIENT LIST – 2007

                                                                    TCU                                   GROWTH

            CITY                                          #of Years                               # of Years                                                                                                                  

1.         ADDISON                                          20                                            12                   

2.         ALGONQUIN                                    12

3.         ALTAMONT                                      22 

4.         ALTON                                               14

5.         ANTIOCH                                         16

6.         ARLINGTON HEIGHTS                    23

7.        AURORA                                             11

8.         BANNOCKBURN                             17

9.         BARRINGTON                                  22

10.       BARRY                                               10

11.       BATAVIA                                           11                               

12.       BEECHER                                           18

13.       BELLEVILLE                                      15

14.       BENSENVILLE                                  20

15.       BERKELEY                                          9

16.       BERWYN                                           21                                                       

17.       BLOOMINGDALE                             13

18.       BLOOMINGTON                               21

19.       BOLINGBROOK                               18                                            15                   

20.       BROADVIEW                                       5

21.       BROOKFIELD                                   27                                            15                   

22.       BUFFALO                                          22                   

23.       BUFFALO GROVE                            20                   

24.       BURR RIDGE                                     14

25.       CARBONDALE                                  27

26.       CARLINVILLE                                     7

27.       CARROLLTON                                 18

28.       CARY (New)                                        1

29.       CENTRALIA                                      19

30.       CHAMPAIGN                                    23                                            11                   

31.       CHANNAHON                                  11

32.       CHARLESTON                                    6                                           

33.       CHICAGO                                          26                                            17                   

34.       CLARENDON HILLS                        18

35.       CLINTON                                             7

36.       COLLINSVILLE                                 25

37.       COUNTRY CLUB HILLS                  18                                              6                   

38.       DAKOTA                                            10

39.       DECATUR                                          27                   

40.       DEKALB                                             10                                                                   

41.       DES PLAINES                                    21

42.       DIXON                                                 2

43.       DOWNERS GROVE                          24                                              9                   

44.       DUQUION                                            4                                              3                   

45.       EAST PEORIA                                    16

46.       EDWARDSVILLE                               6                                              5                   

47.       ELBURN                                              9

48.       ELGIN                                                 18                   

49.       ELK GROVE VILLAGE                     23

50.       ELMHURST                                        28

51.       EVANSTON                                       24                                              9                   

52.       FORREST                                             7

53.       FORRESTON                                       8

54.       FORSYTH                                          12

55.       FRANKFORT                                     12

56.       GALESBURG                           8                               

57.       GALVA                                               23

58.       GENOA                                             14                                            11                   

59.       GLEN ELLYN                                    24                                            12                   

60.       GLENCOE                                          24                               

61.       GLENDALE HEIGHTS                       11                   

62.       GLENVIEW                                        23

63.       GRAYSLAKE                         14                   

64.      GREENVILLE                                      13

65.       GRIDLEY                                            10

66.       GURNEE                                             11                                                                   

67.       HAMPSHIRE                                      4

68.       HANOVER PARK                              23                                                       

69.       HAZEL CREST                                   23                                            12                   

70.       HENNEPIN                                          3

71.       HENRY                                              11

72.       HICKORY HILLS                              12                                                      

73.       HIGHLAND                                        19                                                                   

74.       HIGHLAND PARK                            28

75.       HINSDALE                                         16

76.       HOFFMAN ESTATES                       17

77.       HOMEWOOD                                    10                                             9                   

78.       INDIAN HEAD PARK                       18

79.       INVERNESS                                       17

80.       IRVING                                              14

81.       ITASCA                                              23

82.       JOLIET                                                17                   

83.       KANKAKEE                                      12

84.       LA GRANGE                                      25                                              7

85.       LA GRANGE PARK                           21

86.       LAKE BARRINGTON                         6                                              5                   

87.       LAKE BLUFF                         12                   

88.       LAKE FOREST                                  28

89.       LAKE IN THE HILLS               4                                              2                   

90.       LAKE ZURICH                                   13                                              8                   

91.       LAKEWOOD                                       7

92.       LANARK                                           15

93.       LIBERTYVILLE                                 15

94.       LINCOLN                                             7                                              2                   

95.       LINCOLNSHIRE                                19                                            16       

96.       LINCOLNWOOD (New Growth)       10                                              1       

97.       LINDENHURST                                 11                                              7                        

98.       LISLE                                                  16

99.       LOMBARD                                         18                                            14                   

100.     MACHESNEY PARK                        22

101.     MACKINAW                                       7

102.     MACOMB                                          16

103.     MARQUETTE HEIGHTS                   17

104.     MARSHALL                                       16

105.     MARTINSVILLE                                14                                              2

106.     MASCOUTAH                                     4       

107.     MATTESON                                       17

108.     MCHENRY (New Growth)                 14                                               1

109.     MIDDLETOWN                                 18

110.     MOKENA                                             3

111.     MOLINE                                             17                                              9                   

112.     MORTON GROVE                              7

113.     MOUNT CARROLL                           20

114.     MOUNT PROSPECT                         23                                              7       

115.     MOUNT VERNON                            14                                            10                   

116.     MOWEAQUA                                    20

117.     NAPERVILLE                         18                                            15                   

118.     NEW LENOX                                      8

119.     NORMAL                                            9                                              5                   

120.     N. BARRINGTON                                8

121.     NORTHBROOK                                 14                                              9                   

122.     NORTHFIELD                                    23                                              6       

123.     O’FALLON                                       10

124.     OAK LAWN                                      12                                              7                   

125.     OAK PARK                                        24                                            11

126.     OLYMPIA FIELDS                              1                   

127.     ORLAND HILLS                                19                                           

128.     ORLAND PARK                                21                                           11                   

129.     OSWEGO                                          14                                              6

130.     OTTAWA                                            9                                                                   

131.     PALATINE                                         23

132.     PALOS HEIGHTS                              18                               

133.     PALOS HILLS                                    20                                              7                   

134.     PALOS PARK                                    15

135.     PARK FOREST                                    3       

136.     PARK RIDGE                                     24                                            12                             

137.     PAXTON                                            19

138.     PEKIN                                                            18

139.     PEORIA                                              23                   

140.     PETERSBURG                                    15                               

141.     PLAINFIELD                                      17                                                                   

142.     PRINCETON                                      19

143.     PROSPECT HEIGHTS                      10                                              7                   

144.     QUINCY                                             22                                              4

145.     RANTOUL                                          22                               

146.     RIVER FOREST                                 10

147.     RIVER GROVE                                   13

148.     RIVERDALE                                         7                                

149.     RIVERSIDE                                         3                                             

150.     RIVERWOODS (New Growth)             5                                              1

151.     ROCK ISLAND                                  18                   

152.     ROCKFORD                                      19                               

153.     ROLLING MEADOWS                      19

154.     ROSELLE                                           22

155.     ROUND LAKE                                     2

156.     SALEM                                               18

157.     SAVOY                                                 6                                             2                   

158.     SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE                15

159.     SKOKIE                                             22                                            13      

160.     SLEEPY HOLLOW (New)                   1                   

161.     SOUTH ELGIN                                     4

162.     SOUTH HOLLAND                            7

163.     SPRINGFIELD                                   20

164.     ST. CHARLES                                   10                                               9                  

165.     ST. ELMO                                          16

166.     STEWARD                                            4

167.     STOCKTON                                         5

168.     STREAMWOOD                                16       

169.     SUGAR GROVE                                 14

170.    SYCAMORE                                         2

171.     TAYLORVILLE                                  20

172.     TOWER LAKES                                 15

173.    TROUT VALLEY (New)                       2

174.     URBANA                                            32                                            16                   

175.     VERNON HILLS                                16

176.     VILLA PARK                                     23

177.     WARRENVILLE                                 22                               

178.     WAUCONDA                                       2

179.     WAYNE                                             11

180.     WESTERN SPRINGS             24

181.     WESTMONT                                      12                                              6                   

182.     WHEATON                                        22

183.     WHEELING                                        18                                             6                   

184.     WILMETTE                                        24                                            13                   

185.     WINNETKA                                       15

186.     WOODALE                                          3                               

187.     WOODRIDGE                                    17

188.     ZION (New Growth)                           12