Staff Report
BUDA – The Texas Forest Service and Arbor Day Foundation recently designated Buda as a Tree City USA for the third consecutive year.
Buda’s Sustainability Commission and Parks and Recreation department collaborated in leading the effort to obtain the designation. Known as the “Outdoor Capital of Texas,'' and its mantra to “breathe easy here,” the characteristic live oak trees that line Buda’s Main Street and populate its parks are impressionable on residents and visitors alike.
The Tree City USA program is a nationwide movement that provides the framework necessary for communities to manage and expand their public trees.
“Buda is proud of its Tree City USA designation because we value the natural beauty of this community, have made sustainability a priority and want to protect natural assets as we grow,” said former Buda city manager Kenneth Williams. “Having the Tree City USA designation is an affirmation of our efforts.”
Nearly 3,700 communities across the country — including 94 in Texas — have earned the designation. Each community has achieved Tree City USA status by meeting four core standards of sound urban forestry management: maintaining a tree board or department, having a community tree ordinance, spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry, and celebrating Arbor Day.
Arbor Day will be celebrated on April 29. More information on Arbor Day and the Tree City USA program can be found at www.arborday.org/programs/treecityusa.
