Oregon Dept. of Forestry
Emergency Messages as of 12:36 am, Tue. Mar. 19
No information currently posted.
Subscribe to receive FlashAlert messages from Oregon Dept. of Forestry.
Primary email address for a new account:

  


Manage my existing Subscription

News Release
These Oregon white oaks are part of the healthy urban forest found in Corvallis. The Oregon Department of Forestry in partnership with Oregon Community Trees named Corvallis Oregon Tree City of the Year for 2019.
These Oregon white oaks are part of the healthy urban forest found in Corvallis. The Oregon Department of Forestry in partnership with Oregon Community Trees named Corvallis Oregon Tree City of the Year for 2019.
Corvallis is honored as Oregon Tree City of the Year (Photo) - 11/07/19

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) in partnership with Oregon Community Trees (OCT) has named Corvallis as Oregon Tree City of the Year for 2019. Each year, ODF and OCT select one of Oregon’s 66 nationally recognized Tree City USA communities statewide to award for that city’s commitment to its urban forest. Last year’s Oregon Tree City of the Year was Lake Oswego.

OCT President Samantha Wolf said the award is intended to highlight communities delivering best urban forestry practices to their residents. “People who live in Corvallis have a better quality of life because they live in a healthy urban forest. We’re acknowledging the City of Corvallis with this award for the work it does to ensure its urban forests continues to provide those benefits long into the future.”

According to ODF’s Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Program Manager Kristin Ramstad, “Corvallis exemplifies what a great Tree City USA should be. They are always innovating. They have consistently good planning and significant citizen engagement, recently launching a Neighborhood Tree Steward program. This award recognizes their many years of outstanding work to care for and promote a healthy urban forest.”

Achievements that contributed to Corvallis being named Oregon Tree City of the Year include:

  • Having a robust urban forestry program and staff, along with the requisite management plans and inventories.
  • Being proactive about exploring ways to prepare for and manage a potential outbreak of emerald ash borer in native ash trees.
  • Launching a Neighborhood Tree Stewards program that recruits and trains community volunteers to help maintain and nurture urban trees.
  • Partnering with local businesses to salvage and mill city trees that must be removed due to disease or decline.
  • City Parks and Recreation staff holding positions on statewide boards and advisory committees.

Over the last two decades, Corvallis has met the Tree City USA program’s four minimum standards by:

  • maintaining a tree board (Parks and Natural Resources Advisory Board)
  • a tree ordinance
  • a minimum $2 per capita expenditure for tree planting and maintenance
  • an annual celebration and proclamation of Arbor Day

Urban Forestry Specialist Jennifer Killian said Corvallis Parks and Recreation staff felt honored by the Oregon Tree City of the Year award. “It was incredible to be recognized for all of the hard work we did last year, particularly developing the Neighborhood Tree Steward program. This was a great team effort between our arbor crew and Neighborhood Tree Stewards. We are eager to continue cultivating a robust urban forestry program to serve our community.”

Corvallis is a Sterling Tree City USA for having earned 10 years of Tree City USA Growth Awards.  Growth Awards are achieved when a Tree City USA completes additional urban forestry program activities that go beyond the basic minimum requirements of Tree City USA, an Arbor Day Foundation recognition program.

Visit www.arborday.org/programs/treecityusa/ to learn more.

                                                                        # # #

View more news releases from Oregon Dept. of Forestry.