PORTAGE, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – For the 32nd straight year, the City of Portage has been named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor its commitment to effective urban forest management.
Portage achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: maintaining a tree board or department, having a tree care ordinance, dedicating an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita, and hosting an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.
The City of Portage planted 70 trees in 2022 and pruned an estimated 575 trees. During the summer staff in the Department of Public Works, Parks Maintenance
Division trim trees in Portage parks for ground clearance and dead limbs. During the fall the staff inspects street trees across the city and prunes them as necessary.
“Portage is proud of its more than three decades as a Tree City USA,” said City Manager Pat McGinnis. “We recognize the benefits of a healthy urban forest and tree canopy and will continue our commitment to protect existing trees and expand the canopy where we can.”
In addition to the continuing Tree City USA designation, the City of Portage was awarded the Tree City USA Growth Award for the fourth consecutive year. The Growth Award is presented by the Arbor Day Foundation to participating Tree City USA communities that demonstrate higher levels of tree care and community engagement during the calendar year. Examples of these efforts include tree maintenance reporting and tree risk mitigation processes; tree debris recycling and public installation of recycled wood products; land stewardship and open space acquisition, among others.
Also, in support of the Growth Award, the city’s Youth Advisory Committee hosted the annual Green-A-Thon where 150 free tree saplings were given away, and the City Council adopted a proclamation of celebration of Arbor Day.
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.
