Bees and Trees

Tree City USA

One of the joys of living in the Blue Ridge Mountains is the abundance of trees surrounding us. In order to embrace the natural beauty of the area we are fortunate to live in, the Town of Boone committed to the guidelines set forth in Tree City USA. For 30 years, the Town of Boone has been recognized as a Tree City!

Being recognized as a Tree City means the Town of Boone recognizes the need for a thriving urban forest in our community.  A healthy, thriving urban forest benefits the town by increasing property values, reducing urban sounds, promoting green space for mental & physical health, and of course absorbing CO2 to help mitigate climate change.

How Did We Become a Tree City?

In 1992, Town staff committed to uphold the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains within the Town of Boone. In order to be recognized as a Tree City USA affiliate, we must do the following:

• The Town must spend at least $2 per capita on tree maintenance/planting/planning
  • In 2021, we spent $5 per capita!
• We must have a tree board and a tree representative for the Town
  • Our tree board is through our Community Appearance Commission. Our tree board helps guide the Town of Boone on any changing tree ordinances, provides advice for updates, and assists the Town with areas of concern where tree growth/plantings may be necessary. To learn more about the Community Appearance Commission, click here. 
• We must have a community tree ordinance (Article 31 specifically 31.13 for preservation/maintenance of existing trees)
  • Read Article 31.13 from the Town of Boone's Unified Development Ordinance here
• The Town of course must celebrate Arbor Day!
  • This year, we celebrated Arbor Day during Earth First Friday, a yearly event hosted by our Cultural Resources department. In honor of the Boone 150, a year long celebration which highlight's Boone's 150th birthday, we gave out 150 trees to Boone and Watauga residents.

Maintaining Our Tree City Designation

Our Tree City program is managed by both our Public Works Department and our Planning & Inspections Department. Each department plays a key role in helping manage and grow our Tree City program. Public works features a licensed arborist that performs maintenance on all trees on Town property and oversees large scale tree plantings for the Town. Planning & Inspections performs all landscape inspections for private property including assisting residents with questions regarding trees, organizes all tree city events and distributes information about tree care.

Get Involved

Want to get involved in Tree City events? Contact Brandon Wise, Environmental Planner to learn more. Additionally, if you want to learn more about other sustainably-focused events the Town is hosting, Contact Laney Pilkington, Communications, or fill out the Community Events Sign Up Form.