The City of Cornelia celebrated its 30th anniversary of being a Tree City USA by planting trees at its new water treatment plant on Arbor Day.
The city planted 30 Green Giant Arborvitae at the site on Camp Creek Road, providing nesting sites and cover for birds, according to city officials. The varieties, which are deer resistant, can grow up to 60 feet tall and 12 feet wide.
"We’re excited to continue the long tradition of Cornelia’s commitment to planting trees throughout our community," said Cornelia Mayor John Borrow in a prepared statement. "This is our thirtieth year with the Tree City USA designation and we take it seriously. We are committed to doing everything we can to beautify our community and preserve our nature for future generations."
The Tree City program started in 1976 with the goal of helping communities manage and expand their public trees. More than 3,400 communities have made the commitment to becoming a Tree City USA. They have 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.
