LINCOLN, Neb., Feb. 04 /CSRwire/ - The Arbor Day Foundation along with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today announced the first cities to be recognized through the Tree Cities of the World program. Calendar year 2019 was the first year of eligibility in this worldwide initiative to recognize cities for their commitment to urban forestry management.

A total of 59 cities earned this international designation including Toronto, Canada; New York, USA; Guadalajara, Mexico; Paris, France; Birmingham, United Kingdom; Campo Grande, Brazil; and Auckland, New Zealand. The complete list of recognized communities is available at https://treecitiesoftheworld.org/directory.cfm. To earn this recognition, each city met five core standards for managing city trees and forests.

“We applaud all of the cities that have earned Tree City designation,” said Dan Lambe, president, Arbor Day Foundation. “They are leaders when it comes to planning and managing their urban forests. Many of the cities being recognized have gone above and beyond to use trees as part of their green infrastructure. This distinction is a celebration of their creativity and sustainability in creating healthier urban spaces.”

The Tree Cities of the World program is a partnership of FAO and the Arbor Day Foundation that began in 2019. Its shared vision is to connect cities around the world in a new network dedicated to adopting the most successful approaches to managing urban trees and forests. Recognition through the Tree Cities of the World program represents the first step toward achieving a green vision for qualifying cities.

“We congratulate the first cities to be recognized for 2019, our inaugural year,” said Hiroto Mitsugi, assistant director general, FAO. “Together, these Tree Cities form a new global network of urban forestry leaders who share the same values for city trees and forests. We are proud to recognize these cities for their actions toward healthier, greener places to live.”

For more information on the Tree Cities of the World program and to see how your city can become involved, please visit TreeCitiesoftheWorld.org.

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About the Arbor Day Foundation

Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with more than one million members, supporters and valued partners. Since 1972, more than 350 million Arbor Day Foundation trees have been planted in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to help others understand and use trees as a solution to many of the global issues we face today, including air quality, water quality, climate change, deforestation, poverty and hunger.

As one of the world's largest operating conservation foundations, the Arbor Day Foundation, through its members, partners and programs, educates and engages stakeholders and communities across the globe to involve themselves in its mission of planting, nurturing and celebrating trees. More information is available at arborday.org.

About FAO

Established in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is a Specialized Agency of the United Nations system that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. The Organization is comprised of 194 Member States, 2 associate members and 1 member organization — The European Union. Its aim is to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living for all people in FAO member countries, to secure improvements in the efficiency of production and distribution of food and agricultural products, to ensure the sustainable management of natural resources and to contribute towards expanding the world economy and ensure humanity’s freedom from hunger. FAO is currently present in over 130 countries. More information is available at fao.org.