Gatlinburg Retains Its "Tree City USA" Designation With a Little Help...
For 37 years, (since 1988) Gatlinburg has been designated as a Tree City USA community, one of 45 in the state of Tennessee to receive the honor. But it wouldn’t be possible without the help of one such entity that has been invaluable to the community.
Pi Beta Phi Elementary School has been proudly celebrating the event that has become a tradition since Ronald Reagan finished his second term as President, and hair metal bands were still selling millions of records.
Alexander Bremmer spoke at the school’s Arbor Day ceremony and expressed just how important it is to the city of Gatlinburg. He said, “A very small percentage of cities in Tennessee are recognized as a Tree City, so this makes your City very special. This ceremony is a big part of why Gatlinburg is a Tree City USA.”
In his speech to the students of Pi Beta Phi, he also outlined four standards that must be met in order for Gatlinburg to become a Tree City. They are as follows:
Having an Ordinance to protect public trees.
Have an active Tree Board.
Spend $2 for every person that resides in Gatlinburg to take care of trees.
Hold an annual Arbor Day celebration.
Needless to say, Gatlinburg has been keeping up with all of these standards proudly and consistently since 1988.
Arbor Day in 2025 is celebrated on April 25. It is a day of observance that encourages the planting of trees. In the United States, Arbor Day was founded in 1872 by Sterling Morton in Nebraska. Since then, it has been celebrated every year since, on the last Friday of April. On the first Arbor Day in 1972, an estimated one million trees were planted.
At Pi Beta Phi, as part of their tradition, students helped by planting a tree. This year, it was done in honor of Randall Brien, who served as the City Assistant Recreation Director and Arborist for many years.
The ceremony was held on Friday, April 12, and featured musical performances from the students at Pi Beta Phi, remarks from Gatlinburg Recreation Director Laurence Evans, and Gatlinburg Mayor Mike Werner’s proclamation of the official observance of Arbor Day in Gatlinburg on this date.
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