St. Cloud Named as a Tree City USA

(KNSI) – The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has named 111 communities around the state as Tree City USA, and St. Cloud is one of them.

A press release from the DNR says that “cities and towns achieve Tree City USA status by meeting four core standards of sound urban forestry management: maintaining a tree board or department; having a community tree ordinance; spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry; and celebrating Arbor Day – which is Friday, April 30.”

A Tree City must also commit to urban forest management and celebrate the importance of trees. The city of St. Cloud alone has dozens of city parks, plus Munsinger Clemens Gardens, which hugs the Mississippi River. Parkland in the city of St. Cloud totals more than 1,600 acres.

The City of St. Cloud website explains that the area which is home to Riverside Park and Munsinger Gardens, including the original greenhouse, rock garden, lily pond, and fountain, are all in Munsinger Gardens as a result of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration. Through this New Deal program, workers could plant flowers and trees while also creating some of the garden’s first pathways.

Tree City USA is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with the National Association of State Foresters and the U.S. Forest Service. Through education and technical assistance, the DNR helps Minnesota communities meet Tree City USA standards.

___