Fifty-one communities across Virginia, including the town of Buchanan, have achieved Tree City USA certification by satisfying guidelines from the Arbor Day Foundation.

“Trees are much more than a pretty face,” said Barbara White, urban and community forester with the Virginia Department of Forestry. “They’re vital to our quality of life and the environment. They help clean the air we breathe and the water we drink. And, when properly placed beside a home, trees can even help us conserve energy.”

The ADF reports 48 percent of Virginians live in a Tree City USA Community, and local government spending on community forestry programs averages $6.28 per capita annually.

Criteria include having a Tree Board or Department; a Tree Care Ordinance; a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, the Agency has forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.

With nearly 16 million acres of forestland and more than 144,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $27.5 billion annually in benefits to the commonwealth.

– Submitted by Gregory O’Donnell