‘Green’ Dover AFB lauded by Arbor Day Foundation

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The Arbor Day Foundation recently named Dover Air Force Base a Tree City USA community during a ceremony at the base Child Development Center.

This is the 17th year Dover AFB has received national recognition for its urban and community forestry programs.

To qualify as a Tree City USA, Dover AFB had to meet four standards: have a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

The benefit to the Team Dover community and residents is simple, said Valerie Payton, 436th Civil Engineer Squadron Pollution Prevention and Qualified Recycling Program manager. Residents will live in a cleaner and greener community.

Clean and green are not just poster board slogans, said Ms. Payton. Anyone who's ever lived in a polluted environment knows that clean and green can be seen, smelt and tasted in the air around them.

Leaves filter the air people breathe, said Ms. Payton. By removing dust and debris, and moderating the climate, the trees around Dover Air Force Base provide a healthy living condition for base families.

An Arbor Day Foundation press release stated trees keep climates temperate, conserve water and provide habitat for wildlife. In urban areas, trees reduce the heat island effect caused by pavement and buildings.

Dover exemplified the habitat mentioned above and, as such, has received recognition nearly two decades running.

"A community, its elected officials and its citizens that provide needed care for its trees deserves recognition and thanks," said John Rosenow, Arbor Day Foundation's chief executive.

"Trees are a vital component of the infrastructure in our cities and towns, and they also provide environmental and economical benefits," continued Mr. Rosenow. "Cities that are recognized with a Tree City USA designation go to great lengths to plant and care for the community forest."