Syracuse Recognized as a Tree City of the World

Published on May 29, 2024

Syracuse joins an international network of cities dedicated to fostering the best urban forestry practices

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced the City of Syracuse joined the international program, Tree Cities of the World, for the first time with only 39 other US cities. The recognition from the Arbor Foundation and Food and Agriculture Organization highlights Syracuse’s dedication to growing and maintaining its urban forestry efforts.

Syracuse has earned recognition as a Tree City of the World in the program’s third year. To earn the Tree Cities of the World recognition, Syracuse demonstrated its commitment by meeting five program standards: establish responsibility for the care of trees, set rules to govern the management of forests and trees, maintain an updated inventory or assessment of local tree resources, allocate resources for a tree management plan, and hold an annual celebration of trees to educate residents.

“It is a great honor to be recognized for our efforts in expanding and improving urban tree canopy initiatives in the city of Syracuse,” said Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh. “Syracuse has an outstanding Forestry team, and I am grateful for their work. We will continue our planting and outreach efforts in addition to implementing policies that protect our tree canopy for future generations.

The City of Syracuse received two additional recognitions from the Arbor Day Foundation.  It celebrates its 35th consecutive Tree City USA designation and its 21st Growth Award. These recognitions are a testament to the City’s mission to grow and sustain an urban forest that is cherished by residents of Syracuse.

The initiatives throughout 2023 that helped the Syracuse Department of Parks & Recreation Forestry Division receive the recognitions include:

• Introducing a large-scale private property tree planting program, marking a milestone initiative. In 2022 and 2023, Syracuse distributed 800 trees to property owners. The initiative included education information on the planting and care of trees.
• Launching the first-ever block pruning program, committing to maintaining 3,000 trees annually on a seven-year rotation, enhancing both public safety and tree health.
• Hiring personnel dedicated to design review and permit enforcement, to safeguard the integrity of our tree canopy and ensure responsible development practices. With an expanded professional staff, trees are now integrated into the design and permit review processes for new constructions, infill projects, sidewalk and road replacements, and other infrastructure enhancements.
• Concluding a successful two-year vacant land management pilot program at 701 Tully Street with students from Syracuse STEM at Blodgett who were actively engaged in creating landscape designs through charette modeling, culminating in tree planting by youth at the site.
• Awarding a contract to modernize the city of Syracuse’s tree ordinance for the first time in 43 years. The updated tree ordinance will ensure proper protection and management of the City of Syracuse’s urban forest to meet the needs of a growing and redeveloping city.

The City of Syracuse Forestry Division operates within the Parks and Recreation Department and oversees the management of 35,000 street trees and 10,000 parks trees scattered across 400 miles of road and 1,000 acres of parkland. To learn about the Urban Forest Masterplan visit  https://syr.gov/urbanforestmasterplan.   

The Forestry Division will host several volunteer tree planting events in the spring and fall. As details are finalized information will be posted at syr.gov/Events. The City of Syracuse celebrates Arbor Day in October. Free monthly Tree Identification Walks are held on Tuesdays. The walks are approximately 45 minutes in length in various parks throughout the city. Residents can learn more and register at https://bit.ly/treewalks.

The Arbor Day Foundation is the world's largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Both organizations came together in 2019 to found Tree Cities of the World. The program is a global effort to recognize cities and towns committed to ensuring that their urban forests and trees are properly maintained, sustainably managed, and duly celebrated.