The City of Fond du lac will be celebrating its Arbor Day on Friday, April 24 at 1:00 pm at the Park Pavilion in Lakeside Park. A class from a Fond du Lac Elementary School will be planting the Arbor Day tree in front of the Pavilion in Lakeside Park. Festival Foods will donate the Arbor Day tree for the students. The City will receive its 38th Tree City Award.

Fond du Lac achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: maintaining a tree board or department, having a tree care ordinance, dedicating an annual community forestry budget of a least $2 per capita and hosting an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

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

On April 24th, The Arbor Day Foundation will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Tree City USA program, honoring a half-century of commitment to urban forestry and community health. As climate challenges intensify, the Foundation reaffirms its dedication to planting 500 million trees by 2027, focusing on urban canopy expansion and regional reforestation.

Key 2026 Highlights:

  • 50 Years of Tree City USA: Celebrating the legacy of urban canopy care and recognizing over 3,400 communities dedicated to environmental management.
  • Subaru Partnership: In collaboration with Subaru of America, nearly 600 retailers are distributing 65,000 trees nationwide as part of the “Subaru Loves the Earth” initiative, marking the second year of this massive community effort.
  • Tree Story Collection: The Foundation is mobilizing the public to share personal stories of trees to highlight their cultural and environmental significance.
  • Reforestation Partnerships: Strategic projects continue to roll out, including partnerships for high-integrity reforestation in Mexico and urban planting with organizations like Origins.

“This 50th anniversary of Tree City USA is a testament to the fact that people recognize trees as essential infrastructure, not just aesthetics,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “By prioritizing urban forests, we are ensuring cleaner air, cooler neighborhoods, and a better quality of life.”

For more information about tree planting efforts, to share a story, or to learn about 2026 Arbor Day events, visit arborday.org.