Madison Reporter: Madison celebrates planting its 100,000th street tree

The City of Madison has achieved a significant milestone with the planting of its 100,000th street tree. Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, Alderman Mike Verveer, and City Forester Ian Brown marked the occasion by planting a New Horizon elm in downtown Madison.

"Trees are fantastic for our city. They mitigate heat islands. There is good data that trees improve our mental health. They improve our air quality. Trees absorb stormwater. And there is even evidence trees increase property values," stated Mayor Rhodes-Conway. "I’m very excited about the work we are doing to grow our urban canopy."

In addition to these street trees, Madison boasts thousands more within city parks, stormwater greenways, and residential lawns.

Alderman Mike Verveer expressed his enthusiasm about the location of this landmark tree: “I’m thrilled Madison’s 100,000th street tree was planted downtown,” he said. “I appreciate our city employees who care and plant for these important community assets. They do great work.”

Mayor Rhodes-Conway also mentioned a 2024 executive order from Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers committing to plant 100 million trees statewide by 2030 as part of the global Trillion Tree Pledge, which includes one million urban trees in cities like Madison.

“I’m thankful to the folks in Streets and Urban Forestry who are helping us meet that goal and for making our community a better place by planting even more trees,” added Mayor Rhodes-Conway.

In recent years, Madison's Urban Forestry Division has focused on large canopy species, with 90 percent of new plantings falling into this category in 2024 alone. The city has consistently planted more trees annually than it removes over the past five years.

Madison's commitment to urban forestry has earned it recognition as a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for 35 consecutive years and it has received the foundation’s Growth Award for 19 years.

Forester Ian Brown reflected on the significance of urban trees: “Urban trees are valued by residents. Many of these trees exist because of the dedication and foresight of previous generations to plant, maintain, protect, and support the exact trees we treasure,” he said. “It’s a privilege to continue this legacy and we really appreciate the support from the Mayor, the Council, and our residents.”

The New Horizon elm chosen for this milestone was developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to resist Dutch elm disease. It stands at West Washington Avenue and North Henry Street as a testament to Madison's ongoing efforts in urban forestry.

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