Tree City USA
The City of Fort Lauderdale has maintained the Tree City USA designation for 43 years and has obtained the Tree City USA Growth Award 9 times!
To qualify for Tree City USA, the City had to meet four standards established by the National Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters.
(1) A Tree Board or Department. The City of Fort Lauderdale employs several individuals to focus on trees. We have a full-time City Urban Forester, several landscape plans examiners in our Department of Sustainable Development to focus on tree permitting and related issues, and staff within our Parks & Recreation Department who are ISA Certified Arborists.
(2) A Community Tree Ordinance. Our City has passed multiple ordinances to set policy, protect and expand our tree population, and back it with the force of law when necessary. The City is currently in the process of significant tree ordinance changes for 2021 with progress updates available here.
(3) A Community Forestry Program with an Annual Budget of at Least $2 Per Capita. We have completed a canopy inventory, and have updated our Citywide canopy goal to 27% coverage by 2024. As required, our goals address species diversity, planting needs, hazardous tree mitigation/assessment, insect and disease identification/treatment and a routine proactive tree maintenance. We supplement City plantings with a robust program of tree giveaways, public property tree plantings and public education.
(4) An Arbor Day Observance and Proclamation. Each year, the City of Fort Lauderdale holds an Arbor Day celebration, generally combining celebratory tree plantings with a volunteer service element.
Participating in the Tree City USA program provides our City a foundation for citywide tree care and programs.
More Information
Learn more about the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree City USA program at this official webpage. You can see the criteria our city needs to meet and maintain, as well as read stories from communities across that nation.