Romeoville Again Recognized As Tree City USA, Growth Award Honoree

ROMEOVILLE, IL — The Village of Romeoville was recognized twice last week for its commitment to urban forestry management and as one of 3,600 Tree City USA recipients from around the country.

The village was recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation, which honored Romeoville with the Tree City USA designee for the second straight year.

To be named a Tree City USA recipient, honorees must maintain a tree board or department, have a community tree ordinance, meet spending requirements on urban forestry, and must celebrate Arbor Day in their community.

To receive a Growth Award, a number of tasks on a list must be completed annually with each task assigned a different point value, village officials said in a news release. These tasks range from the funding of forestry projects to hiring experts, inventory management, maintenance, and public education.

“We recognize the importance of trees in our community and the benefits they provide,” Romeoville Mayor John Noak said in a released statement. “We are grateful to be honored twice by the Arbor Day Foundation for our continuing commitment to urban forestry and pledge to continue making Romeoville even more of a tree-friendly village.”

Romeoville residents who would like to get involved in making their neighborhoods greener have the opportunity to explore the Parkway Tree Replacement Program on the village’s website.

The program assists residents who wish to have trees planted in the parkway in front of their homes where trees do not currently exist or are in poor condition. Local residents can also join the village’s monthly O’Hara Woods cleanup days, the village said. These workdays, organized by the Conservation Foundation, require no prior experience and see volunteers cutting invasive brush, burning brush piles, pulling garlic mustard, and more activities. More information is also found on the village website.