Wausa celebrates Arbor Day by planting tree
WAUSA — Wausa was named a 2021 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor its commitment to effective urban forest management.
The community of Wausa achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements:
-Forming a tree board or department. -Creating a tree-care ordinance. -Having an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita.
-Putting together an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.
Bill Schumacher, the chairman of the Wausa Village Board of Trustees, led the community’s annual Arbor Day celebration on April 29.
He started by giving a presentation at Wausa Public Schools to K-6 students about the importance of commemorating National Arbor Day and planting trees.
The tree-planting celebration marked its 150th anniversary in 2022. Arbor Day originated in Nebraska and is an official state holiday.
After his presentation, Schumacher led students and teachers to Wausa’s Gladstone Park for the planting of a maple tree on the east side of the softball field.
“Tree City USA communities benefit from the positive effects that an urban tree canopy has year after year,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation, a 50-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees.
“The trees being planted and cared for by Wausa ensure that generations to come will enjoy a better quality of life. Additionally, participation in this program helps cultivate a sense of stewardship and pride for the trees the community plants and cares for.”
Planting trees in an urban space comes with a myriad of benefits past the recognition of the Tree City USA program.
Urban tree plantings help reduce energy consumption by up to 25 percent, which will decrease general energy costs and help with the overall cooling of the community as well.
In addition, members of the community benefit from properly placed trees as they increase property values from 7 to 20 percent, according to the Arbor Day Foundation.
Trees also positively affect the local ecosystem by helping to clean water and create animal habitats to encourage biodiversity.
More information on the Tree City USA program may be found online at arborday.org/TreeCityUSA.
