
For the first time, the town of Argyle has been recognized as a Tree City USA community, according to a news release from the town.
Tree City USA is a national recognition program sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and National Association of State Foresters. The program began in 1976, and has since designated more than 3,400 communities across the nation.
Each year, the program recognizes communities that meet four fundamental standards of urban forestry management:
- A tree board or department;
- A tree care ordinance;
- A community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita;
- An Arbor Day proclamation and observance
In 2019, the town of Argyle worked with the Texas Trees Foundation to complete an Urban Forest Ecosystem Assessment and Tree Canopy Analysis. The study revealed structural and functional characteristics and values of the town’s urban trees and will be used to inform tree planning and management, according to the town.
Some key findings from the study included:
- Argyle’s 627,500 trees have a structural value of $484 million
- Argyle has an estimated 86 trees/acre
- Argyle’s tree canopy cover is 31.3 %
- 627,500 trees provide 10.55 thousand tons of Oxygen per year to Argyle
- Argyle’s most common tree species are Post Oak, Cedar Elm, and Black locust.
The full report can be read here.