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Phoenix, Arizona, 21 April 2014 — In honor of Arbor Day the Arizona State Forester Scott Hunt is pleased to announce that 25 Arizona communities have received the Tree City USA recognition. Cities and towns achieving this honored status include: Avondale, Buckeye, Casa Grande, Chandler, Coolidge, Florence, Gilbert, Glendale, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Litchfield Park, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Patagonia, Peoria, Phoenix, Pinetop-Lakeside, Prescott Valley, Quartzsite, Scottsdale, Show Low, Snowflake, Tempe, Tucson, and Yuma.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, USDA Forest Service, and the National Association of State Foresters, and provides, among other things, national recognition for greener communities. The requirements to be a Tree City USA community are a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a commitment to a community forestry program, and an Arbor Day observation and proclamation. Becoming a Tree City USA and achieving the program requirements will create a healthier sustainable urban forest that reduces energy costs and consumption, boosts property values, builds strong community ties, and honors the community.

Patagonia is Arizona’s newest Tree City USA. Cornelia O’Connor, a Patagonia resident and member of the local Tree and Park Committee, learned about the program after seeing the decline of older trees in a community park and contacted the Arizona State Forestry UCF program for assistance. After working closely with the Town Manager and interested residents, Patagonia hosted their first Arbor Day last fall to meet the program requirements. “This year, we’re looking forward to hosting an Arbor Day tree workshop for residents that will focus on site selection and preparation, native tree and companion plant selection, as well as proper tree planting techniques,” O’Connor said.

Other Arizona cities and towns have been recognized for the following number of years: Chandler (2), Avondale (3), Kingman (3), Mesa (4), Buckeye (6), Gilbert (6), Peoria (6), Yuma (6), Casa Grande (7), Quartzsite (7), Florence (8), Prescott Valley (9), Coolidge (11), Lake Havasu City (13), Snowflake (15), Show Low (17), Glendale (18), Paradise Valley (18), Tempe (18), Litchfield Park (21), Tucson (22), Phoenix (28), Pinetop-Lakeside (29), and Scottsdale (32).

For more information on the Tree City USA program visit: http://www.arborday.org/programs/treeCityUSA/