Tree City, Growth awards continue for Greencastle

The most famous tree in Indiana may have taken root in the courthouse at Greensburg but for sustained tree growth, the Decatur County seat has nothing on Greencastle.

For the 15th straight year Greencastle has received recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA community, it was announced by the DNR Division of Forestry. Greencastle was again cited for its continued commitment to effective urban forestry management.

For 2014, Greencastle is among 64 Hoosier cities and towns awarded Tree City USA recognition by the DNR Division of Forestry.

Nine of the 64, including Greencastle, also received the Growth Award, which shows a higher standard of excellence for urban forestry management.

It marks the fifth consecutive year that Greencastle has earned the Growth Award.

To achieve Tree City USA status, communities must draft and pass a public tree care ordinance, designate a municipal department and tree advisory committee, spend at least $2 per capita for the tree care program, and have an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

"These municipalities are to be commended for using the urban forest as a tool to enhance economic development, environmental health, and quality of life in their community," State Forester John Seifert said.

The Tree City USA program has been in existence in Indiana since 1984, when Bloomington met the criteria and became the first Tree City in the state. Conversely, this year Russiaville was awarded Tree City USA for the first time.

DNR Forestry staff will formally recognize the communities during April and May at Arbor Day ceremonies throughout the state. The Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters sponsor the program.

Besides Greencastle, the other Growth Award winners are Carmel, Elkhart, Goshen, Middlebury, Noblesville, Rensselaer, Syracuse and Terre Haute,

The 53 other Hoosier cities, earning only Tree City honors are: Anderson, Angola, Auburn, Avon, Batesville, Beech Grove, Berne, Bloomington, Chesterton, Columbia City, Crown Point, Culver, Dana, Decatur, Dyer, East Chicago, Evansville, Fishers, Fort Wayne, Fortville, Fremont, Greendale, Greenfield, Grissom Air Reserve Base, Hartford City, Huntington, Indianapolis, Kendallville, Lafayette, Madison, Merrillville, Michigan City, Mishawaka, Mount Ayr, Muncie, Munster, Nappanee, Nashville, New Harmony, New Haven, North Manchester, NSA Crane, Richmond, Rochester, Russiaville, Salem, South Bend, Tipton, Valparaiso, Wakarusa, West Lafayette, Westfield, Whiting, Winamac and Zionsville.