As a group of residents along with a Washington School fourth grade class gathered in Greydene Park, dignitaries spoke on behalf of the benefits of Cañon City being a Tree City USA for the 44th time.

After asking the students why they celebrated Arbor Day, State Forester John Grieve talked about trees.

“Trees … purify our air. They keep our cities cool,” he told the class. “If we didn't have our shade in our town, they add a lot to spaces like this, parks. A place without trees is just a place to park a car. It's a parking lot. We get wood from trees. We get food from trees. Trees are an essential part of our human ecosystem. We need trees in our life.”

Back in 1872, J. Sterling Morton lived in the eastern part of the country, where there were a lot of trees. When he moved to Nebraska.

“Nebraska had a lot of grassy plains and not very many trees, Grieve said. “(Morton) really missed them. He said 'we're going to set a day aside every year to celebrate trees and we're going to plant trees. We're going to call it Arbor Day.' So J. Sterling Morton in 1872 had the very first Arbor Day celebration in Nebraska. The idea has caught on. Right now, it's all over the country. It's even celebrated in other countries around the world to set aside every year traditionally the third Friday in April.”

In 1980, the City of Cañon City was first recognized as a Tree City USA.

“Tree City USA is driven by the National Arbor Day Foundation, which recognizes communities and towns who have a department or board to manage the trees in the city,” Grieve added. “Cañon City Parks and Rec. Department is that department that manages our city trees. You have to have a tree ordinance that governors when a tree should be pruned, when it should be taken out and when empty spaces has a tree planted in it. The city has to commit with money. It has to set aside a certain amount of money every year to manage the trees in the forest. It's $2 per person, per year. I think Cañon City spends a little bit more than that, probably a lot more than that, especially this spring when we had the snowstorm. It was expensive to take care of all the broken branches.”

The final criteria for being a Tree City USA is you have to celebrate Arbor Day.

“That's what we're doing today,” Grieve added. “We're meeting the fourth requirement by celebrating Arbor Day. This is the 44th year the city has been a Tree City USA.”

Grieve then held a moment of silence for the late Bryce Hamilton, who was instrumental in starting the Tree City project in Cañon City in 1980. Grieve then presented a plaque to Fremont County Administrator Ryan Stevens, who read the Proclamation from Cañon City Mayor Preston Troutman to the crowd.

After a few more comments from city officials, the ceremony ended with planting a sycamore tree in Greydene Park, followed by refreshments.