ISA encourages every eligible city to apply for recognition in the inaugural year of the Tree Cities of the World program, a joint initiative of the Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The program recognizes cities across all continents that meet core standards for the planning and care of city trees and forests.

To achieve recognition, cities must meet five core standards for tree care and management:

1. The city must establish responsibility by creating a written statement by city leaders delegating responsibility for the care of trees within the municipal boundary to a staff member of a city department or a group of citizens.
2. The city must establish a law or official policy that governs the management of forests and trees.
3. The city has an updated inventory or assessment of the local tree resource so that an effective long-term plan for planting, care and removal of city trees can be established.
4. The city has a dedicated annual budget for the routine implementation of the tree management plan.
5. The city holds an annual celebration of trees to raise awareness among residents and to acknowledge citizens and staff members who carry out the city tree program.

Cities can complete an application online through 31 December 2019.

The vision of the Tree Cities of the World program is to connect cities around the world in a new network dedicated to sharing and adopting the most successful approaches to managing city trees and forests. Recognition through the Tree Cities of the World program represents the first step towards achieving a green vision for qualifying cities. ISA looks forward to recognizing the Tree Cities of the World at the 2020 ISA Annual International Conference.

For more information on Tree Cities of the World, and to see how your community can get involved please visit TreeCitiesoftheWorld.org.