Tree City USA

Tree City USA is a community improvement project sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters, USDA Forest Service, U.S. Conference of Mayors, and National League of Cities. The City of Lafayette first applied for and received the award in 1995 and is proud to report that we have been recertified every year since then.

As a Tree City USA award recipient, Lafayette has met four standards. We have:

          1. A tree board, commission, or municipal department that has legal responsibility for the care of public trees and has the authority to develop and administer a community tree management program.

2. A tree ordinance which identifies authority for public tree management and establishes policies for tree planting, maintenance, and removal.

          3. An annual budget for administering, managing, and implementing the community forestry program of at least $2.00 per capita.

          4. An Arbor Day observance and proclamation that can be as simple as a brief tree planting ceremony or as intricate as a week-long celebration. Colorado observes Arbor Day on the third Friday in April. Lafayette holds an annual Arbor Day event on the Saturday preceding or following Arbor Day.

The City of Lafayette has received four Tree City USA Growth Awards.