Matteson Named
"Tree City USA"

Matteson's commitment to planting and preserving trees has earned the Village national recognition by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

The National Foundation has named Matteson a "Tree City USA," a distinction reserved for communities that meet four standards established by the foundation. This is the first year Matteson has received this national recognition.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.

To become a Tree City USA, a community must have: a tree board or department, a city tree ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program and an Arbor Day observance.

The Matteson Plan Commission serves as the Village's tree board, and the Village recently updated its landscaping ordinance to include planting procedures for new development and to protect existing trees.

Matteson's comprehensive community forestry program, entitled "Crowing Together," is a joint effort of the Village and the Matteson-Olympia Fields Chamber of Commerce. The forestry program was launched on Arbor Day in April of last year with the planting of the first tree on the southeast corner of Cicero Avenue and Lincoln Highway.

A major focus of the comprehensive forestry program is highway tree planting. "Ultimately, we'd like to completely 'green' all the major roads in the village," said Ralph Coglianese, Deputy Village Administrator and Community Development Director.

The first phase of the Matteson program calls for planting approximately 100 trees this year along parts of Lincoln Highway and Cicero Avenue. The focus will be in and around the intersection. Shrubs and flowers also will be planted on the corners at the intersection.

The second phase of the forestry program will include filling in the gaps from Phase I with some planting north on Cicero Avenue in undeveloped areas.

In notifying Matteson of its designation as a Tree City USA, John Rosenow, the National Arbor Day Foundation's Executive Director, said, "Trees have long been recognized for the beauty and value they lend to our homes, neighborhoods, parks and business areas. At the same time, trees cool our cities, fight pollution, conserve energy, and give wildlife a home.

"An effective community forestry program is an ongoing process of renewal and improvements — a program of tree planting and care that continues through the years," Rosenow said. "The Tree City USA award is an excellent indication that there is a solid foundation for that process of improvement." •

April 1992 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 15