Tyler designated a "Tree City U.S.A." (Longview: city hall, house)

[Metro Matt]

Tyler: Tree City U.S.A. - KLTV 7 News Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville |

[Metro Matt]

Everything's Coming Up Trees For Rose City

Tyler Named Tree City USA; Initiative Aims To Plant 5,000
By DAYNA WORCHEL
Staff Writer


The city of Tyler has long been known for the beauty of its roses -- and thanks to its designation as an official Tree City USA from the National Arbor Day Foundation on Friday, the city can add trees to the list.


Dark skies and threatening rain served as a fitting backdrop for Mayor Barbara Bass' announcement as she and other city officials planted a magnolia tree on the City Hall's front lawn in honor of the new designation, and in honor of Arbor Day.


"Tyler is blessed with a beautiful urban forest," the mayor said. "We are a natural beauty in large part because of our urban forest -- major efforts have been made in the city to both protect it and add to it," she said.


The mayor also launched her Mayor's Tree Tyler Initiative that will encourage Tylerites to plant 5,000 trees a year in five years. Residents who plant trees anywhere in the city, including their own backyard, can go to an active website, www.TREETYLER.com, to register their trees as they plant them, the mayor said. TXU Energy is the first corporate sponsor, and donated 105 trees towards that goal.


Mayor Bass said the initiative also will include tree plantings on public property, such as parks and right-of-ways. The mayor unveiled a sign which will be posted at the "gateways of Tyler," she said. And Stephanie Rollings, director of Parks and Recreation for the city, raised the official tree city flag in front of City Hall.







City Hall was not the only place to have a new tree added to its landscape. The front lawn of the East Texas Medical Center campus is also sporting a new 11-foot Leyland Cypress evergreen, which will serve as a living Christmas tree. The tree will be called the Tree of Hope, with each holiday light to serve as a symbol of hope for patients.


"Cutting down a tree each year seemed sacrilegious each year," Elmer G. Ellis, president and chief executive officer of the East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System said at the ETMC tree planting ceremony. He explained that hospital officials had wanted to replace the cut tree with a real one that they could watch grow over the years.


The Leyland Cypress is expected to grow about three to four feet a year, and could eventually reach 50 feet in height in about 20 years, Britt Spiers, superintendent of building and ground services for the ETMC system, said. He added that the Leyland Cypress, a combination of the Alaskan Cedar and the Monterrey Cypress trees, is very adaptable, and "likes the heat and sunshine."


Mayor Bass said the city had committed to spending $25,000 a year from their budget toward planting trees in the city, beginning with the adoption of the Tyler 21 Plan, which the city council adopted in 2007. The 20-year plan created a strategic framework for future actions for the city and acts as a roadmap for future growth, according the city website.


A community must meet four standards in order to be designated as a Tree City USA community according to the Arbor Day Foundation website. The city must have a tree board or department to be legally responsible for the care and management of the city trees, a tree care ordinance to write and implement an annual community forestry plan, a community forestry plan that is supported by at least $2 per capita, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.


For more information, go to Trees - Arbor Day Foundation.

[AlGreen]

i want to see some maples, elms, and hickories planted. tulip trees would nice to see as well. more hardwoods that have great fall color

[solytaire]

This is a great initiative...for a while there I was concerned that Tyler was going to clear cut all of its trees and become another concrete jungle. Fortunately this measure should prevent that from happening.

[Metro Matt]

Yeah, just up the hill from my house they clear cut an entire field full of pine trees that had been there for God knows how long. I'm happy to see development in this town, but sad to see all of the trees go at the same time. I'm glad the city has implemented this measure. I wouldn't mind planting some of the trees myself. I wonder if citizens are allowed to plant on city & county owned property.

[Mark Senior]

Yes, I really want the city, and residents, to plant trees. Tyler has lost thousands of large beautiful trees to clear cutting in the last 10 years. Thankfully, Tyler is still is a beautiful city, in many sections at least, with the remaining pines, oaks, and other "greenery" and flowers. But hey, bring on the rain, Tyler just went through the 4th driest April in the last 114 years, since 1896. Rain would you. !!