Five new communities – the cities of Caro, Glen Arbor, Hamtramck and Laingsburg and Canton Township – joined the increasing number of cities, villages and townships to earn Tree City USA designations for their efforts to promote and care for public trees in their communities.   

These five are among 122 Michigan communities, seven college campuses and seven healthcare campuses recognized for work accomplished during 2025. A total of 14 communities also received Growth Award recognition for going above and beyond. They include Ann Arbor, Berkley, Birmingham, Ferrysburg, Frankfort, Grandville, Livonia, Ludington, Marshall, Muskegon, Novi, Oak Park, Portage and Rochester Hills. All recipients will receive award materials in the coming weeks.

“Our Arbor Day Foundation Program participants have done an amazing job with their tree work this past year," said Lawrence Law, urban forester and outreach coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. "This is my fourth year managing this program for Michigan and it’s great to talk to these communities and groups that want to do more to provide their residents with the benefits that come from trees." 

2025 Tree City awardees

Cities: Adrian, Albion, Allegan, Alma, Alpena, Ann Arbor, Auburn Hills, Battle Creek, Bay City, Berkley, Big Rapids, Birmingham, Boyne City, Brighton, Cadillac, Caro, Charlevoix, Charlotte, Coldwater, Detroit, Dowagiac, East Lansing, Eastpointe, Escanaba, Ferndale, Ferrysburg, Flint, Flushing, Frankenmuth, Frankfort, Fraser, Fremont, Gaylord, Glen Arbor, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids, Grandville, Grosse Pointe, Hamtramck, Hazel Park, Hillsdale, Holland, Howell, Huntington Woods, Imlay City, Ionia, Kentwood, Laingsburg, Lansing, Lapeer, Lathrup Village, Livonia, Lowell, Ludington, Madison Heights, Manistee, Marquette, Marshall, Mason, Midland, Monroe, Montague, Morenci, Mount Clemens, Muskegon, Negaunee, North Muskegon, Northville, Novi, Oak Park, Owosso, Petersburg, Petoskey, Plymouth, Port Huron, Portage, Portland, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Rockford, Royal Oak, Saginaw, Saugatuck, South Haven, South Lyon, Southfield, Southgate, St. Clair, St. Clair Shores, Sterling Heights, Sturgis, Taylor, Tecumseh, Traverse City, Trenton, Troy, Warren, Whitehall, Wyoming and Ypsilanti.

Townships: Canton, Chesterfield, Orion, Plymouth and Shelby.

Villages: Breckenridge, Beverly Hills, Caledonia, Dexter, Grand Beach, Grosse Pointe Shores, Holly, Kingsley, Lake Odessa, Lexington, Mackinaw City, Michiana, Milford, Northport, Romeo and St. Charles.

2025 Tree Campus Higher Education awardees

• Calvin University
• Hope College
• Kellogg Community College
• Michigan State University
• Washtenaw Community College
• Wayne State University
• Western Michigan University

2025 Tree Campus Healthcare awardees

• Aspirus Iron River Hospital
• Aspirus Ironwood Hospital
• Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital
• Corewell Health Blodgett Hospital
• Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital
• Corewell Health Pennock Hospital
• Corewell Health Zeeland Hospital

With 2026 marking the 50th anniversary of the Tree City USA program, Law said it's important to take pride in the work Michigan's communities do and to think about why we celebrate those efforts.

"Tree City recognition comes with years and years of work, dedication and participation, all for the enjoyment and benefit of community members today," Law said.

Communities don’t plant trees for the present, Law said, but to make a positive difference to people in the future we'll never meet.

"In the words of the late arborist, horticulturist and author Leonard E. Phillips, 'If you are active and participate, you can make a difference,'" Law said. 

Support from the Arbor Day Foundation and the DNR continues to empower communities in tree programs throughout the state. This year's success came from continued interest of communities, recertification by communities already within the program and the addition of our new communities.

"Congratulations to all 2025 recognized Tree City USA communities and campuses during this golden anniversary year," Law said.

To find out more about the Arbor Day Foundation’s various Tree USA programs, visit arborday.org/programs.  

For questions on the DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry program, contact Law at 313-316-4137 or LawL1@Michigan.gov, or visit Michigan.gov/UCF.