Owensboro Parks & Recreation and Public Works marked Arbor Day on Thursday with the City’s annual tree planting at Moreland Park, tying the celebration to a broader push to expand and maintain the city’s urban tree canopy.
City officials also announced Owensboro has once again been recognized as a Tree City USA community — its 36th consecutive year — while launching a new initiative funded by an $84,303 federal grant aimed at improving tree health, safety, and access across local parks.
The funding, awarded through the Kentucky Division of Forestry’s Urban & Community Forestry Program with support from the USDA Forest Service, will support a two-year effort known as the Equitable Urban Canopy Initiative.
Officials said the program builds on the same goals highlighted during Thursday’s Arbor Day event — planting and maintaining trees that benefit both the environment and quality of life.
“This initiative is about more than trees. It’s about investing in healthier neighborhoods and creating safe, welcoming spaces for our community,” said Parks & Recreation Director Amanda Rogers. “We’ve already begun putting these grant funds to work, and we’re excited to start sharing how this investment is making a difference in our community.”
The initiative will focus on 10 park locations across Owensboro, including Chautauqua Park, Cap Gardner Nature Park, English Park, Goose Egg Park, James Mason Park, Kendall-Perkins Park, Legion Park, Moneta Sleet Jr. Park, Moreland Park, and Waymond Morris Park.
Planned efforts include conducting a comprehensive tree inventory, identifying and addressing safety risks, removing hazardous trees when necessary, expanding planting efforts in underserved areas, and developing a long-term canopy management policy for city-owned properties.
Initial work is already underway. The City has partnered with ISA-certified arborist Chad Singer of Very Good Tree Service to complete a full inventory and health assessment, and has implemented TreePlotter software to map and track tree data across park locations. Officials said strategies are also being developed to maintain tree health through pruning, cabling, and, when needed, removal.
City engineers noted that trees also play a key role in environmental protection by reducing stormwater runoff, filtering pollutants, and improving water quality in local streams and rivers.
As part of the initiative, Owensboro Parks & Recreation plans to share ongoing updates and educational resources with the public to highlight the role urban forestry plays in daily life.
