Medina again wins ‘Tree Growth’ award

Press release

MEDINA – The community will celebrate Arbor Day on Friday by planting trees and accepting a “Tree City Growth Award” from the National Arbor Day Foundation. The award honors Medina’s commitment to community forestry.

Medina is one of the few local communities with the “Tree Growth” designation. It puts the village in the company of well-known urban forestry communities such as East Aurora, West Point, Mount Vernon and Ithaca, said Chris Busch, chairman of Medina’s Tree Board. It is also the sixth year Medina has received the Tree City USA designation. Overall, this year Medina will plant over 60 trees, an increase of 10 trees from last year.

Medina’s annual Arbor Day Celebration is scheduled for 9 a.m. this Friday at 1018 West Ave. Hundreds of elementary school children from neighboring Oak Orchard Elementary School are expected to attend and participate along with FFA members from Medina High School.

“This will mark the first year we have had participation with our FFA chapter at Medina High School,” said Nicole Goyette, Medina’s Arbor Day coordinator. “This will be a great opportunity for them to interact with our younger students at an agri-based event like Arbor Day.”

Medina Mayor Andrew Meier is an advocate of his community’s forestry program.

“We’re extremely proud to be a Tree City USA and a Tree City Growth Award community,” he said. “It demonstrates the kind of commitment to the environment that helps make our village an attractive place to live, work and visit.”

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

“We commend Medina’s elected officials, volunteers and its citizens for providing vital care for its urban forest,” said John Rosenow, chief executive and founder of the Arbor Day Foundation.

“Trees provide numerous environmental, economical and health benefits to millions of people each day, and we applaud communities that make planting and caring for trees a top priority.”