Did you know Indy is a Tree City? If that trivia tidbit leaves you puzzled, don’t worry — we’re here to explain what the title means and why Indy has held the designation for 37 years.
A Tree City USA must meet four standards, including having a tree ordinance and an active tree board. More than 3,500 communities across the country, including nearby Carmel, Noblesville, and Beech Grove, have made the same commitment.
Crown Hill Cemetery is one of our favorite places in Indy to catch fall foliage.
Photo by @alexandra2023
Branch out with a few more tree-mendous facts:
- Keep Indianapolis Beautiful plants 3,000+ trees across the city each year. In addition, a partnership between the nonprofit, Indy Parks, and AES Indiana has planted 15,000 trees since 1990.
- Indy is home to several notable arboreta (read: botanical collections of trees). One of the largest is Crown Hill Cemetery, which has 11,000+ inventoried trees on its grounds.
- Marion County currently has 33% tree canopy cover.
- Indiana DNR maintains a list of the largest known specimen of each native tree species across the state, several of which are in Marion County. If you think you know a tree that might meet the qualifications, you can submit it here.
If your love for the trees nearly touches the sky, you might be interested in becoming an Indiana Tree Steward. Learn more about the program.
