Everyone who lives in Greenville knows how beautiful it is. The National Arbor Day Foundation must agree as they have named Greenville a Tree City USA.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.

This marks the fourteenth year that the Camellia City has been named as a tree city and City Horticulturist Jennifer Stringer said that the city is amongst the oldest of Alabama's Tree Cities.

"We are one of the oldest Tree Cities. Mobile is probably the oldest having been one for about 20 years. This is something the entire city can be proud of," Stringer said.

To become a Tree City USA,

a community must meet four standards: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program and an Arbor Day observance.

The city's Horticulture Department is planning to host an Arbor Day Fair at Confederate Park on Tuesday, Feb. 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for fifth graders from Greenville Middle School, Fort Dale Academy and Greenville Academy.

"We will try to educate the students and the public about the importance of trees in our lives. We will have different tables sponsored by different companies and agencies that will teach them more about trees," she said.

Among those who have already planned to be part of the fair are: Asplundh, Alabama Power, Alabama Forestry Commission, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Main Street, Greenville Tree Commission, Alabama Wildlife Conservation and Soil and Conservation.

To help preserve and protect Greenville's natural resources, the city developed the Horticulture Department. It is currently made up of seven employees who can often be seen mowing lawns, planting trees or doing landscaping work.

"We have a landscaping crew, a right-of-way mowing crew, parks mowing crew and a crew to work on the city's athletic fields. We try to make the city as attractive as possible for our residents and our visitors," Stringer said.

Stringer said that having the horticulture department within the city is another reason the Greenville has been named a Tree City USA

"This is a very special honor. Not all cities are named Tree Cities. We are one of the few cities with a department set up specifically for this," she said.