The Arbor Day Foundation has once again recognized Rehoboth Beach with its Tree City USA award, marking three and a half decades of consecutive honors for the coastal community’s dedication to urban forestry initiatives.
Cities must meet specific criteria to qualify for this recognition, including establishing a tree board or forestry department, implementing community tree regulations, investing a minimum of $2 per resident in urban forestry programs, and holding Arbor Day festivities. Rehoboth Beach has surpassed these requirements while maintaining its focus on beautifying parks and roadways with tree plantings.
Michael Lilly, who serves as the city’s Urban Forestry and Parks Manager, credits community involvement for helping guide tree selection decisions. Residents provided input that led to choosing Sugar Maples and Northern Red Oaks as replacements for Bradford Pear trees that were removed from Stockley Street Park in the previous year.
The upcoming spring season will see new plantings concentrated around Lake Gerar, where officials plan to introduce six different tree varieties along the walking path. Additional deciduous trees will be planted to create shade coverage for cars parked on Lake Avenue. This initiative is expected to add 21 new trees to the area.
As part of the city’s ongoing multi-year street tree expansion program, Lilly has identified Hickman Street, Country Club Drive, and State Road as locations for new plantings scheduled for this fall. Last year saw the addition of 24 new street trees, and officials aim to match that number with this year’s autumn planting efforts.
“Continuing this planting cycle of public space plantings in spring and city streets in the fall,” Lilly says, “I hope to increase our overall canopy and native diversity.”
Rehoboth Elementary students will join city officials for an Arbor Day celebration in April, featuring a tree planting ceremony and proclamation event at Stockley Park.
The Arbor Day Foundation operates as an international nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging tree planting, care, and appreciation worldwide. The organization has built a network of over one million supporters, leaders, and volunteers who share the vision that trees can help create a better future. Over five decades, the foundation and its partners have planted more than 500 million trees. The Tree City USA initiative operates through partnerships with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.
