By Jocelyn Bogen
July 14, 2008

On June 21, The U.S. Conference of Mayors and The Home Depot® Foundation presented the third annual Awards of Excellence for Community Trees and Urban Forestry.

Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo and Camden (NJ) Mayor Gwendolyn Faison won first place in the large and small city category, respectively. Each city received a $75,000 grant. Runner-up recipients Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Trees Atlanta (large), and Carmel (IN) Mayor James Brainard (small), each received a $25,000 grant.

This year the award advisory board was so impressed with work being done by Cascade Land and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, they created a special Second Runner-up category with a $5,000 grant. Two honorable mention awards were presented to Waverly (IA) Mayor Ike Ackerman and Trees Forever ,and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Greening Milwaukee. Each honorable mention city received a $2,500 grant. In total, more than $210,000 is being distributed by The Home Depot Foundation to support urban forestry initiatives across the country.

Grants were awarded to mayors and their respective city’s non-profit partner to further the goal of promoting healthy, more stable communities through the strategic use and management of trees in these urban areas. "Now in the third year of the program, we have seen a definitive shift in the way mayors and city governments view urban forestry. More and more we’re seeing a separate line-item in city budgets giving trees more visibility and greater resources," said Kelly Caffarelli, President of The Home Depot Foundation.

Award categories were determined by population — one category for large cities with populations more than 100,000, and the other for small cities with populations less than 100,000. Over 100 applications were submitted for the Awards. These project winners were selected by an independent advisory committee comprised of experts in the fields of urban forestry, environment and sustainable community development.

Past President of The U.S. Conference of Mayors Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer added, "We are grateful to The Home Depot Foundation for its commitment to helping raise awareness about the importance of city trees and rewarding communities who go above and beyond to help our environment."

Visit the website www.usmayors.org/trees for 2008 Award recipient program descriptions and the latest information and resources for community trees.