Wilsonville Named a Tree City USA for 19th Year in a Row
The City of Wilsonville has been recognized for the 19th consecutive year as a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation. The award reflects Wilsonville’s nearly two-decade-long commitment to maintaining and promoting an ongoing investment in the community’s urban-forestry efforts.
Mayor Tim Knapp said, “Trees help clean the air, conserve the soil and water, reduce heating and cooling costs and bring nature close to where we live – ultimately contributing to a sense of place and quality of life in Wilsonville.” City Councilor Charlotte Lehan, a long-time supporter of the City’s role as a Tree City USA, added, “Trees also improve the visual appeal of a neighborhood, increase property values and provide wildlife habitat.”
Maintaining the Tree City USA designation requires the City to have a comprehensive urban forestry program, which consists of a tree ordinance, a City department responsible for trees, an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita and annual Arbor Day observance and proclamation. Mayor Knapp plans to issue an Arbor Day proclamation during the City Council meeting on April 3.
To further promote Wilsonville’s commitment to an urban forest and to promote habitat for pollinators, the City is hosting three different volunteer planting events in March and April in partnership with Friends of Trees. The first volunteer planting event is on Saturday, March 18, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., at the Willamette River Water Treatment Plant, 10350 Arrowhead Creek Lane in Wilsonville. Volunteers are asked to arrive around 8:45 a.m. to be registered and assigned to a crew. Breakfast snacks and hot chocolate/coffee, as well as gloves, tools and guidance are provided. Dress appropriately for weather conditions and all ages are welcome.
In April the City and Friends of Trees are also hosting two more volunteer planting events 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, at Willamette River Water Treatment Plant and on Saturday, April 15, at Memorial Park. To sign up a group of five or more volunteers contact Friends of Trees at 503-595-0213 or visit www.FriendsofTrees.org for more information about volunteer tree planting opportunities in Wilsonville and around the region.
The volunteer planting events also support the City’s Bee Stewards program which seeks to improve pollinator habitat in Wilsonville in partnership with Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides; The West Linn Wilsonville School District, Center for Research in Environmental Sciences and Technology; Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation; Northwest Youth Corps; Habitat Landscape Design; Oregon State University North Willamette Research and Extension among others. The program is supported by a grant from the Wilsonville-Metro Community Enhancement Program.
For more information about Wilsonville’s Tree City USA designation contact Jennifer Scola, Associate Planner, at 503-570-1572; scola@ci.wilsonville.or.us.
For more information about the Bee Stewards program contact Kerry Rappold, Natural Resources Manager, at 503-570-1570; rappold@ci.wilsonville.or.us.
