McMinnville has been honored for the 17th year with the distinction of being in the Tree City USA program.

Tree City USA is a national program offered by the Arbor Day Foundation that provides framework for community forestry management for towns across America.

Making the presentation was Tennessee Division of Forestry representative Steven Rogers.

“For the 17th year in a row, the city of McMinnville has achieved this distinction,” said Rogers. “That’s quite an achievement. It’s something to be proud of and I’d like to express my congratulations.”

Tree City USA has been greening up cities across America since 1976. It is a nationwide movement that provides the framework necessary for communities to manage and expand their public trees.

More than 3,400 communities have made the commitment to become a Tree City USA. They have achieved Tree City USA status by meeting four core standards of sound urban forestry management: 1) maintaining a tree board or department, 2) having a community tree ordinance, 3) spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry, and 4) celebrating Arbor Day.

Arbor Day was celebrated by the city by planting trees.

“We decided to plant three trees at Riverside Cemetery,” said McMinnville landscape manager Hank Patton. “They’re dogwoods. Dogwood trees at this cemetery are nice.”