Arbor Day and Tree City USA Designation

Mesa has been named a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation since 2010 to honor its commitment to community forestry. Becoming a Tree City USA provides a community with a greater ability to improve community urban forests, encourage tree care and planting programs, enhance livable communities, and of course, benefit the environment. Visit our All About Trees page for details on tree planting and maintenance, and Mesa's 1,000,000 tree initiative.

The 1st official Arbor Day was created by Morton and celebrated in Nebraska in 1872. His simple idea of setting aside a special day for tree planting is now more important than ever. In the years following that first Arbor Day, Morton's idea spread beyond Nebraska and today all 50 states celebrate Arbor Day. Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday of April (Friday, April 25, 2025). 

Arbor Day Proclamation(PDF, 112KB): On Monday, April 21, the Mayor signed the 2025 proclamation at Mesa's City Council meeting, declaring that April 25 is Arbor Day in the City of Mesa.

The Lorax Readings: Our staff works with Mesa Public School classrooms to have live readings of The Lorax by Mayor and Council members, and other community volunteers. Twelve lucky classrooms will get growing kits with Palo Verde seeds, our Arizona state tree.

Speaking of the Lorax, check out this fun Rap version of The Lorax by Wes Tank or this book reading by Deputy Fire Chief Forrest Smith.