Arbor Day Foundation declares Corbin a Tree City USA member

The City of Corbin has been recognized for its efforts to effectively manage trees on public property lands in 2019 as the Arbor Day Foundation declared it a Tree City USA.

The city began work in 2018 toward the goal with the establishment of a tree board and regulations concerning the types of trees that may be planted on public property, two of four requirements for a city to achieve the recognition.

The ordinance emphasizes that the board shall only have jurisdiction over trees and shrubs located in parks, along streets and in other public areas.

The ordinance also establishes a list of acceptable trees that may be planted in public spaces, the spacing between trees, from the street and from sidewalks and fire hydrants.

While the Bradford Pear was initially included in the list of trees the board may consider, Commissioner Trent Knuckles argued the tree should be removed from the list, noting it is not native to Kentucky and creates problems with maintenance.

City officials emphasized that the ordinance does not preclude property owners from planting such trees on their own property.

In November, the Corbin Tree Board hosted an Arbor Day event at Corbin Elementary School to meet another requirement to earn the recognition.

“With Tree City USA recognition, the City of Corbin has demonstrated a commitment to effective urban forest management and is doing its part to help address these challenges for City of Corbin residents now and in the future,” Arbor Day Foundation officials stated in announcing the designation of Corbin noting planting trees is a great way to help with air quality, water resources, person health and well-being, energy use, and provide protection from extreme heat and flooding.

The Arbor Day Foundation recently launched the Time for Trees initiative to help address these issues by planting 100 million new trees in forests areas.

More information about the Corbin Tree Board is available on the organization’s Facebook page.

More information about the Tree City USA program is available online at www.arborday.org.