HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL NR 2021-02-23 Tree City USA
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release
February 23, 2021
Media Contact:
Leah Kosin, Assistant Public Information Officer
lkosin@leesburgva.gov 703-771-2781
Town of Leesburg Recognized as 2020 Tree City USA
Leesburg, VA (February 23, 2021) – The Town of Leesburg has been recognized as a 2020 Tree City
USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. The Town first became accredited in 1989 and has continued to
receive this recognition every year since.
To qualify, the Town had to meet the program’s four requirements: have a tree board or commission, a
tree-care ordinance, an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita, and an Arbor Day
observance and proclamation.
In the year 2000, the Town of Leesburg initiated a goal to plant 2,000 trees. Over the last 20 years the
Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Public Works and Capital Projects have
planted a combined 2,487 two inch caliper trees on Town owned property.
In addition, nearly 11,000 live stakes and approximately 3,200 seedlings have been installed as part of
the Tuscarora Creek Stream Restoration Project.
“This significant accomplishment reaffirms the commitment to a healthy tree canopy in Leesburg,” said
Urban Forester and Landscape Specialist Tyler Wright. “Thank you to the residents and Town staff for
your efforts to keep Leesburg a greener, cleaner, and cooler Town.”
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.
About the Tree City USA Program
The Tree City USA program has been greening up cities and towns across America since 1976. It is a
nationwide movement that provides the framework necessary for communities to manage and expand
their public trees. More than 3,400 communities have made the commitment to becoming a Tree City
USA.
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