Burbank Named Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation

Burbank, CA (May 6, 2024) – For the 47th consecutive year, the City of Burbank has been named a 2024 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation in recognition of Burbank’s commitment to effective urban forest management.  The City of Burbank shares the honor of being one of the original Tree City USAs in the State of California with the City of Sacramento.

Burbank achieved the Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: maintain a tree board or department, have a tree ordinance, dedicate an annual community forestry budget of $2 per capita, and host an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

The City of Burbank Parks and Recreation Department invites the community to celebrate this national recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation by participating in any of the following initiatives:

• Learn about the Plant for a Greener Burbank initiative and get involved by planting a FREE shade tree in your home or business, or register to volunteer for tree plantings at our beautiful parks!
• Volunteer to keep the City’s parks beautiful with DIG Burbank.
• Enjoy Burbank’s beautiful trees, tag us on social media with #TreesofBurbank to be featured. (Follow and Tag Burbank Parks and Recreation on Facebook and Instagram)

The Burbank Parks and Recreation Department maintains a total of 33,000 City trees— 28,000 parkway trees and 5,000 trees in public parks. Burbank’s citywide initiative, Plant for a Greener Burbank, surpassed its goal of planting a minimum of 500 trees by 2021 by planting an additional 831 trees by 2023.

Furthermore, in 2023, the Parks and Recreation Department launched the City Parks Master Plan, inviting community input to create a clear vision for the development and enhancement of city parks, recreation facilities, and programs. The final City Parks Master Plan Workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, May 8th at 6:00 PM at the McCambridge Recreation Center, offering an opportunity for community involvement. These initiatives reflect the City's commitment to improving community health and quality of life, and are consistent with the objectives outlined in the City’s 2035 General Plan and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan. The longstanding success of these efforts, including the City's recognition as a Tree City USA for over four decades, underscores the importance of collaborative efforts between the City and its residents in creating a more beautiful and thriving community.

Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees with more than one million members, supporters, and valued partners. Since 1972, almost 500 million Arbor Day Foundation trees have been planted in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Their vision is to cultivate a world where trees are used to solve critical issues for survival. For more information, visit www.arborday.org.

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