Lake Forest, Lake Bluff Earn Tree City Designation

and have each been named a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor its commitment to community forestry.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.

This is the 31st consecutive year Lake Forest has earned the designation, and 16th straight for Lake Bluff.

Both communities have met the four standards to become a Tree City USA community: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program, and an Arbor Day observance.

Each has planned a tree-planting event for April 27.

• Lake Bluff will plant a White Oak on the East Center Avenue boulevard with the at 10 a.m. Lake Bluff schools will conduct programs the same day.

• Lake Forest will plant a Red Bud tree at 9 a.m. at , 1260 N. Green Bay Road. In addition, 2,000 commemorative Burr Oak seedlings will be distributed in public and private elementary schools in Lake Forest.

The first Arbor Day was held in 1872 in Nebraska City, Neb., through the efforts of J. Sterling Morton. More than one million trees were planted in Nebraska, according to the National Arbor Day website.