Can't see the forest?

Arbor Day is still a few weeks away, but the National Arbor Day Foundation has just issued the Tree City U.S.A. certifications for 2005. Corvallis received recertification this year, along with 42 other cities in Oregon, a record number for our state.

I was surprised to discover that Corvallis has only been a Tree City for the past four years. Some cities in Oregon have been certified for more than 20 years. Of course, the certification is not based on the number of trees in the city, but on items like per capita budget for tree preservation and observance of Arbor Day. But darn it, for a pretty little tree-filled community such as ours, with a world class College of Forestry at the university, why weren't we certified earlier?

We also received a sort of bonus award, the Tree City Growth Award. That makes us extra special.