MAYORS MESSAGE

Craig A. Stough 4/18/2008

"Arbor Day Celebration Planned"

The City of Sylvania will have its annual Arbor Day Celebration on Friday, April 25, 2008 on the City Administration Building grounds, 6730 Monroe Street from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The City of Sylvania has again been named a Tree City USA. The notification came recently from the National Arbor Day Foundation, and is the 26^th consecutive year the City of Sylvania has been so honored.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service. To become a Tree City USA, a community must meet four standards: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program, and an Arbor Day observance. Sylvania has met these standards for twenty- six years, leading to a better quality of life for all of our residents.

Since 1975, approximately 7,690 street trees have been planted by the City of Sylvania Parks and Forestry Division. City forestry funds are used not only to plant new trees, but also to prune and take care of trees in our parks, public lands and street right-of-ways.

The value to our neighborhoods is far greater than the cost, with a variety of trees blooming throughout the spring, and all growing to provide shade over the years. They make our neighborhoods more beautiful and add to our property values. They also clean the air, produce oxygen, keep our homes cooler and provide a habitat for wildlife. I recommend a tour around our neighborhoods to view all the many street trees in bloom this time of year.

Being a Tree City USA is just part of the City of Sylvania's commitment to the quality of our natural environment. Sylvania's urban forestry program is also recognized around the state for our green waste recycling program - collecting, grinding and composting tons of yard waste each year instead of sending it to a landfill. Further, the City was among the first in Ohio more than fifteen years ago to establish a City materials recycling program, and last fall began a weekly, rather than biweekly, collection schedule.

In a city named Sylvania, Arbor Day is certainly an important day to recognize. Each year Sylvania Special Events Coordinator Art Landseadel organizes an Arbor Day program at the City of Sylvania Administration Building. Our thanks to the Sylvania Rotary Club, who is again donating a tree to be planted during the program. This year the tree is a Tupelo tree, the 2008 national tree of the year. Everyone is invited to assist in planting that tree and enjoy the Arbor Day Celebration on Friday, April 25^th.