Trees and Gardens

Ramsey is a Tree City USA

Qualifying as a Tree City USA

Trees provide an array of environmental benefits and social and economic benefits as well. A few examples include reduced stormwater runoff, moderated temperatures, increased property values, and contributions to personal and community health. Recognizing the many benefits associated with trees, Ramsey strives to manage and foster the growth of our community forest, a vital natural resource. As a result, Ramsey qualifies as a Tree City USA.

About Tree City USA

Tree City USA is a national program that recognizes communities for taking specific actions to properly manage their community forests. Four core standards must be met to be acknowledged as a Tree City USA. The Arbor Day Foundation designed the standards to ensure a qualifying community had a viable community forest management plan and program.

The standards are:

• Establish/maintain a Tree Board or Department (Ramsey has an Environmental Policy Board that satisfies this requirement).
• A tree care ordinance (Ramsey has a Tree Preservation Ordinance).
• A community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita (through tree maintenance activities such as trimming, planting, and removals, landscape requirements, plan reviews, and shade tree disease management, Ramsey generally far exceeds this standard).
• An Arbor Day observance and proclamation (annually, the City Council adopts a resolution to recognize and observe Arbor Day, and the City coordinates a tree planting event in honor of Arbor Day).

Looking Forward

Ramsey has been recognized as a Tree City USA for 34 consecutive years! While that is an outstanding achievement, there is still room for improvement. City staff and the Environmental Policy Board will continue their efforts to manage this vital resource properly and identify areas for improvement.