tree city usa award

The Town of Chapel Hill is proud to be a recipient of this award for the past 25 years! To receive recognition, a community must meet four core standards for its public trees:

• Form a Tree Board or Department: In Chapel Hill, the Town Arborist in the Parks and Recreation Department cares for trees on town property.

• Establish a Tree Care Ordinance: This provides clear authority and guidance for the care of public trees.

• Maintain a Community Forestry Program: This is required to have an annual budget of at least $2 per capita for the planting, care, and removal of trees.

• Proclaim and Observe Arbor Day: Here in Chapel Hill, we celebrate Arbor Day in late November.

CDP A-List Award

Chapel Hill is one of 120 cities and towns worldwide to earn the 2023 CDP A-List ranking for bold climate action and transparency. This is Chapel Hill’s third year in a row receiving an “A” rating, which is the highest score awarded by the environmental nonprofit CDP.  

Cities on the A-List have demonstrated climate leadership through concerted and effective action. The requirements for this top ranking in 2023 were higher than in previous years and include: 

• Completing community-wide emissions inventories 

• Disclosing emissions information publicly through CDP-ICLEI Track 

• Publishing a climate action plan