Mayor Richard J. Kos is pleased to announce that the City of Chicopee will hold its annual Arbor Day celebration on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 10:00 AM. The celebration will include the planting 8 American Liberty Elm trees at Rivers Park on Meadow Street.

The Elms are 8 of several trees that will be planted this year in the City. Most of the new tree plantings will take place as part of the City’s continuance of the Greening the Gateway Cities program through the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and following the completion of road, sidewalk and sewer work at various locations. Tree species are selected for their resistance to diseases, ability to tolerate roadside conditions and to increase shade and aesthetics.
In addition to the tree plantings, Chicopee will also celebrate its twenty-third consecutive year as a Tree City USA. The Tree City USA award is given annually by the National Arbor Day Foundation to communities that work to promote tree care and planting.

The Tree City USA award was made possible through the cooperative partnership among the Office of Community Development and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) the Engineering and Planning Departments, Department of Public Works, the Forestry Department, and the Department of Parks and Recreation for their tree related efforts in 2015.