An Award For Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass

TYLER — Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass has been awarded the Champion of Trees Award at the Arbor Day Foundation’s 2014 National Awards Competition for her work with the Tree Tyler Initiative. This award is presented to a government official or employee for demonstrating leadership in advancing forestry public policy at a community, state or national level. Mayor Bass was recognized and honored for her outstanding work at the Arbor Day Awards Ceremony held April 25-27 in Nebraska City, Nebraska.

On April 30, 2010, Mayor Bass announced the Tree Tyler Initiative, with the goal to plant 5,000 trees in five years. The plan included an implementation strategy to plant particular species and number of trees annually. The initiative included tree plantings on public property, like parks and right-of-ways, as well as a concerted effort to encourage citizens to plant trees on their own property as well.

The Tree Tyler Initiative has become a major part of the City’s Tyler 1st Master Plan. Through this public process it became evident that the Tyler citizens recognize the importance and value of trees to this community including, environmental affects, an increase in property value, and aesthetic impacts. In 2010, Tyler was awarded the designation as a Tree City USA and hired a full-time arborist.

As of February 28, 2013, more than 5,500 trees had been planted in Tyler thanks to the efforts of Mayor Bass. There have been two city-wide planting events in which more than 550 volunteers from the Tyler community came together to plant approximately 1,000 trees in Tyler’s parks, medians and along Tyler streets.