Grand Rapids earns 28th Tree City USA recognition from Arbor Day Foundation
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich – The Arbor Day Foundation named Grand Rapids a 2025 Tree City USA in honor of its commitment to plant, grow and maintain trees to benefit its community. This is the 28th year the City has received this recognition.
“We’re excited to be recognized again for our trees,” said Nick Hitchcock, city forester. “With the help of neighbors, volunteers and community partners like Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, we’ve seen our tree canopy coverage increase to 37%. This recognition is a celebration of not just our trees, but our community as well.”
In 2008, the City completed its first tree canopy study and found a 34.6% tree canopy cover. Then, in 2012, the Green Grand Rapids sustainability plan adopted a goal for 40% tree cover.
The current canopy provides ecosystem services that are valued at $371, 791 annually, including removing air pollution, sequestering carbon and intercepting stormwater. The City’s street trees alone have stored over 46,000 tons of carbon, a service valued at nearly $8 million.
“There’s a lot that goes into growing a tree canopy,” said Hitchcock. “We can plant trees but then there’s the ongoing work to ensure they grow into healthy, mature trees. That includes pruning, invasive species management, emergency response situations and additional maintenance priorities to protect our investment.”
To earn Tree City USA recognition, a city must uphold four core standards including maintaining a tree board or department, having a community tree ordinance, spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and participating in an Arbor Day celebration.
The Foundation’s Tree City USA program is now celebrating its 50th recognition season. The anniversary underscores the program’s rich history of growing healthier, greener, and more resilient communities through urban forestry.
“For five decades, Tree City USA has rallied passionate local leaders to enhance the livability and sustainability of their communities. Tree champions like Grand Rapids are leading the way in a growing movement to shape a better future with trees and action,” said Michelle Saulnier, vice president of programs at the Arbor Day Foundation. “Trees are critical infrastructure, building resiliency and fostering good health in our nation’s cities. We’re proud Grand Rapids is among the Arbor Day Foundation’s growing network of communities dedicated to creating positive impact through trees.”
The Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA program is operated in partnership with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service. To learn more about Tree City USA and other Arbor Day Foundation programs, visit arborday.org/programs.
About the Arbor Day Foundation
The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. They foster a growing community of more than 1 million leaders, innovators, planters, and supporters united by their bold belief that a more hopeful future can be shaped through the power of trees. For more than 50 years, they’ve answered critical need with action, planting more than half a billion trees alongside their partners. And this is only the beginning.
The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit pursuing a future where all life flourishes through the power of trees. Learn more at arborday.org.
