Weiser marks 18 years as a Tree City USA

Weiser city officials noted Arbor Day by planting two trees – a crimson sunset maple and a royal red maple – at the city soccer fields on East Park Street on Friday.
 Though the two trees were small, they will in the not-too-distant future provide shade from the sun for spectators watching kids play soccer at the park.
 Weiser Mayor Diana Thomas was joined by Gerry Bates, the southern Idaho urban forester for the Idaho Department of Lands, for the tree planting and also to note that the city has been designated as a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for the 18th year.
 Bates said he had just come from another Arbor Day event in Emmett before driving to Weiser. He presented the city with a Tree City USA flag and stickers marking that the city has been a Tree City for 18 years.
 Weiser earned Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: a tree board or department, a tree-care ordinance, an annual community tree budget of at least $2 per resident and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.
 The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. It started in 1976 as a way to help commemorate the nation’s bicentennial through a needed and lasting contribution.
 In a news release, the Arbor Day Foundation noted the importance of trees in the city.
 “Trees bring shade to our homes and beauty to our neighborhoods, along with numerous economic, social and environment benefits.”
 There are 62 Tree Cities in Idaho. In total, Idaho’s Tree Cities spent $8.5 million last year on their forestry programs, an average of $7.75 per capita. The total population of Idaho’s Tree Cities is 1.2 million people.
 The city of Weiser acknowledges Arbor Day every April with some kind of ceremony and a proclamation. With a tree committee in place and the Tree City USA designation, the city also qualifies for some grants, which help pay for trees that are diseased or old and need replacing in parks.