BRANSON, Mo – In addition to earning the title of a Tree City USA for 27 years, the Arbor Day Foundation has given the City of Branson the Tree City USA Growth Award to honor its commitment to effective urban forest management.
A Growth Award is given to a community alongside its Tree City USA recognition for demonstrating environmental improvement and a higher level of tree care. The Growth Award recognizes major milestones and annual activities to build sustainable community forestry programs over the long term such as: building a team, measuring trees and forests, planning the work, performing the work and building the community framework.
Urban tree plantings help reduce energy consumption by up to 25% which will reduce general energy costs and help with the overall cooling of the city as well. In addition, members of the community benefit from properly placed trees as they increase property values from 7-20%. Trees also positively affect the local ecosystem by helping to clean water and create animal habitats to encourage biodiversity.
Branson Mayor Larry Milton will acknowledge this award at the community Arbor Day Celebration on Earth Day Friday, April 22, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. at Eiserman Park located at 201 Compton Drive. Please visit Branson’s Parks & Recreation Department website at BransonParksandRecreation.com for more information on the TreeKeepers and Memorial Tree Program, which allows groups and individuals to donate a tree to memorialize or celebrate a family member or friend. For more information on Branson’s Tree City USA designation or Arbor Day, please visit www.arborday.org.