How Tree City USA works, plus how Fort McCoy earned its 37-year streak

The Tree City USA designation is more than a ceremonial honor — it represents a sustained, measurable commitment to managing and investing in community forests.

Administered by the Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with the National Association of State Foresters, the program sets national standards for urban forestry programs across the United States.

Four standards to earn the designation

To be recognized as a Tree City USA community, installations like Fort McCoy must meet four specific requirements each year:

— Maintain a tree board or forestry department responsible for oversight and planning.

— Have a formal tree care ordinance or policy guiding management practices.

— Invest at least $2 per capita annually in forestry programs.

— Hold an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

These standards ensure every designated community has a structured, funded, and active tree management program in place.

How Fort McCoy meets the mark

Fort McCoy consistently satisfies all four requirements through its robust forestry operations within the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch.

According to past articles about Tree City USA by the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office, the installation’s program includes:

— A dedicated Forestry Office that manages more than 46,000 acres of forested land.

— Established policy through Fort McCoy Regulation 420-34 (Urban Tree Management).

— Verified annual investment in forestry and tree care programs.

— A long-running Arbor Day observance, which includes community tree planting.

Tree replenishment at the core

A key part of Fort McCoy’s success is its tree replenishment program, which directly supports both environmental stewardship and military readiness.

Each year, forestry staff identify areas needing replanting to maintain healthy forests across training lands. These efforts:

— Improve training environments and maneuver space.

— Support wildlife habitat and watershed protection.

— Provide erosion control and natural noise buffers.

Recent efforts show the scale of the program. Thousands of trees are often planted annually, including 5,000 trees in 2024 and continued planting projects in 2025 and 2026.

A model of long-term stewardship

Fort McCoy’s recognition for 37 consecutive years reflects a rare level of consistency. While more than 3,400 communities nationwide participate in Tree City USA, maintaining decades-long designation requires continuous compliance and improvement, post officials said.

By integrating forestry into its overall mission, Fort McCoy demonstrates how installations can balance training readiness with environmental responsibility — ensuring forests are sustained not just for today’s needs, but for future generations, said Forestry Technician Tim Parry with the Forestry Office Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch.

Fort McCoy’s motto beginning in 2026 is “Training the Total Force and Shaping the Future since 1909.”

The installation’s mission: “Fort McCoy strengthens Total Force Readiness by serving as a training center, Mobilization Force Generation Installation, and Strategic Support Area enabling warfighter lethality to deploy, fight, and win our nation’s wars.”

And Fort McCoy’s vision is, “To be the premier training center supporting the most capable, combat-ready, and lethal armed forces.”

Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin. The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.” Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”