Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter
On Thursday, Merrill was named a 2018 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation in honor of its commitment to effective urban forest management. This is the 33rd year that Merrill has been named a Tree City USA community.
Merrill achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. Thursday afternoon, Merrill celebrated Arbor Day by planting 12 trees of multiple species at Ott’s Park. Funding for the trees came from the American Transmission Company and Wisconsin Public Service.
Mayor Derek Woellner read the city’s Arbor Day proclamation.
“It’s extremely important that we have a variety of trees,” said Merrill Park and Recreation Director, Dan Wendorf. “When I started my job here in Merrill, all we had was maple trees; now the city hasn’t planted a maple (tree) in 15 years.”
In Merrill, Wendorf’s department and the Street Department work together to take care of the city’s trees. Together in 2018 they planted 158 new trees.
