When the National Arbor Day Foundation first launched the Tree City USA program in 1976, few could have predicted that a simple recognition program would blossom into one of America’s most enduring commitments to green, livable communities. Fifty years later, Salem stands as a testament to this movement’s power, not merely as a participant, but as one of the program’s original charter members and Oregon’s oldest Tree City USA. For five consecutive decades, the city has earned this prestigious designation, transforming its landscape through thoughtful urban forestry practices that benefit residents, wildlife, and the environment alike. Salem’s crown jewel is the interconnected canopy of trees that shade its streets, clean its air, and define its character as the Cherry City.
A Seed Planted in 1976: The Roots of a National Movement
From such small beginnings do great forests grow. In 1976, a notion no more imposing than a seedling began pushing toward the surface of American civic life. As the nation celebrated its bicentennial, the Arbor Day Foundation partnered with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters to launch the Tree City USA program. The program was created to address the need for better care of community forests and encourage public investment in urban trees by helping towns manage and expand their green infrastructure.
That inaugural year, only 42 communities from 16 states embraced the challenge. Yet the seed had been planted. By 1993, less than two decades after the program’s launch, Tree City USA had expanded to all 50 states. Today, over 3,500 communities proudly carry the designation, representing places from Sibley, North Dakota, to New York City. This expansion reflects a fundamental cultural shift. Americans increasingly understand that trees form the backbone of livable, healthy communities. Nearly half of the nation’s population now resides in a recognized Tree City, a statistic that underscores how thoroughly this movement has woven itself into the fabric of American urbanism.
What It Takes to Be a Tree City
Becoming a Tree City USA isn’t complicated, but it does require intentionality. The Arbor Day Foundation asks communities to meet four straightforward requirements that communities must meet and maintain.
First, a community must have a tree board or department as some designated body responsible for the welfare of its urban forest. In Salem’s case, this falls to the Parks Department, whose staff and volunteers carry the weight of the city’s arboreal ambitions. Second, there must be a community tree care ordinance, a legal framework that ensures trees aren’t planted thoughtlessly or removed capriciously. Third, the community must maintain an annual forestry budget of at least two dollars per capita, a modest investment that signals genuine commitment rather than mere symbolism. And finally, communities must hold an annual Arbor Day observance or proclamation, turning this national celebration into a local event that engages residents and reaffirms communal values.
Salem: Oregon’s First and Longest-Tenured Tree City
When the Tree City USA program launched in 1976, Salem was among the charter members who signed on at the very beginning. This makes Salem the oldest continuously designated Tree City in Oregon. The city was the first in the state to receive the award, setting a standard that others would follow…