Peabody Named A 'Tree City USA' Community

PEABODY, MA — Peabody's tradition of embracing trees in an urban setting was celebrated for the 20th year with the Arbor Day Foundation naming it a 2020 Tree City USA community.

The recognition is based on the city's commitment to increasing and maintaining its tree population.

"Planting and caring for trees is among the most important things we can do to benefit current and future generations," Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt said. "We all know that trees beautify the landscape and provide shade for our homes, but they also offer countless environmental, economic and social benefits."

The Arbor Day Foundation — the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees — is responsible for the designation. The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit, environmental and educational organization of more than 1 million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees.

Tree City USA communities must have a tree board or department, a tree-care ordinance, a community forestry program with annual expenditures of at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)