City of Cullman receives Arbor Day growth award
Apr. 29—The City of Cullman has been recognized with the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree City USA Growth Award.
To receive the Growth Award a community must be recognized as a Tree City USA (Cullman achieved Tree City USA recognition for the 35th consecutive year in February) and earn 10 points per calendar year by reaching various milestones and conducting or participating in certain activities that help build long-term sustainable community forestry.
During a meeting of The Cullman Tree Commission at City Hall on Tuesday, April 18, commission members agreed to be more visible at community events where they can share information on the commission, help educate people on the value of trees and teach the basics of tree planting and tree care.
"Trees are a great natural resource," said Tree Commission Chairman Barry Slatton. "We will be taking a more active role in educating the public on tree planting and care, and we want to help enhance the appreciation of trees in our community."
In other business, tree commission recorder Leanne West gave an update on the recommendation made at the February meeting for the City of Cullman to increase the Arbor Day Poster Contest prize from $15 to $25 for second place winners and from $25 to $50 for first place winners. This request was made in an effort to encourage more students to participate. West said the city agreed to increase the prizes accordingly.
The Arbor Day poster contest is held in conjunction with Arbor Week and is open to local fifth grade students. First and second place winners are selected from each school, and first place posters are then entered into the statewide contest. In 2023, three schools participated: Sacred Heart Elementary School, St. Paul's Lutheran School, and Cullman Christian School. Winners were Owen Murphy and Landon Jones (second place) and River Nelson, Victoria Borucki, and Marriah Hain (first place). Hain, the overall statewide contest winner, traveled to Montgomery to participate in a tree planting ceremony with Gov. Kay Ivey.
Current members of the Tree Commission are Slatton (Chairman), Peggy Harris, Jan Barnett, Rachel Dawsey, B.J. Morgan, Edgar Veigl and Joel Moon. The commission meets on the third Tuesday of every even-numbered month at 10 a.m. in the auditorium at Cullman City Hall, 204 Second Avenue NE. All meetings are open to the public.
Anyone with tree-related concerns or questions can leave a message for City Arborist Charles Chandler by calling 256-775-7102 or emailing cityhall@cullmanal.gov.
To find out more about the Tree Commission or the City Arborist visit: cullmanal.gov/depts/trees.
To find out more about the Arbor Day Foundation visit: www.arborday.org.
To find out more about Tree City USA and the Tree City USA Growth Award visit: www.arborday.org/programs/treecityusa.
