|
People Loving And Nurturing Trees (PLANT) is a statewide award program to recognize communities for their tree planting and tree
care efforts. Communities range from schools, homeowner organizations and parks to metropolitan areas, cities and towns.
There are four PLANT award levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Green. Successive levels require more formalized tree care activities. Although a community may remain at any level for an unlimited number of years, the goal of the program is to encourage a community to grow through the award levels by strengthening their commitment and care for their urban trees. Communities submit an application in which they describe the events and activities that meet an award criteria. Applications are submitted to the DNR Forest Service by December 15 th each year and awards are presented in April, often in conjunction with local Arbor/Earth Day celebrations. |
 At an Arbor Day celebration at Riverdale ES, Town of Riverdale Park received a PLANT award from MD DNR forester, Horace Henry, in recognition of the town's reforestation efforts. |
PLANT Community Awards:
 |
The BRONZE AWARD is an attractive framed certificate indicating the award level and community name. Communities qualify for the Bronze Award by sponsoring a single activity or "one time event" relating to trees or tree care. Typical activities include a tree planting, or Arbor or Earth Day event. |
| The SILVER AWARD includes an etched wooden plaque with silver nameplate and date tag engraved with the year of the award. The plaque is designed to display additional PLANT awards of silver (or higher) in subsequent years to document a community's on-going commitment to their trees. The Silver is intended to encourage activities that lay the groundwork for developing an urban forestry program. Such activities might include data collection for a tree or natural resource inventory or the creation of a Tree Board or Beautification Committee. |  |
 |
The GOLD AWARD is an engraved, gold-colored date plate to be mounted on the wooden PLANT plaque. The Gold Award
recognizes communities for actively developing urban forestry programs to improve the health of their community's trees.
Activities that qualify for this award level may include development of a tree management plan based on a previous inventory or
adoption of tree protection regulations.
|
| The GREEN AWARD is a green-colored date plate for display on the wooden PLANT plaque. Although simple in form, it represents the highest PLANT honor to recognize a community that has developed a well-established urban forestry program. This coveted award is reserved for programs that are funded, fully functional and staffed by qualified professionals (including volunteer assistance). Communities that are recipients of the federally awarded Tree City USA status automatically qualify for PLANT's Green Award. |
To participate in Maryland's PLANT Program, simply fill in the PLANT application print it and mail to the region in which you live. The addresses are shown on the first page of the application. You may submit any time during the year but the yearly deadline is December 15th for awards to be made the following April.
The History of the PLANT Program
The Maryland PLANT Program was established in 1991 as a cooperative effort between the Maryland Community Forest Council (MCFC)
and the Maryland Forest Service. The goal of the program was to help local communities step through the process of developing an
on-going urban forestry program. By reinforcing small, initial efforts, communities begin to "adopt" their local tree resources and once
engaged, become invested in maintaining the health and survival of the tree canopy. As the tasks become more complex, evolving into tree
inventories and management plans, MCFC and the Forest Service can provide technical support and volunteer assistance to aid in the
development of a formalized urban forestry program.
Before PLANT was established, national programs such as Tree City USA were providing these services for incorporated communities but smaller groups and unincorporated communities were not qualified to participate. PLANT was established to fill this gap and to encourage involvement by groups of all sizes.
During the first few years of the program, the number of participating communities grew to 30 in 1994. After program revisions in 1996, the number of PLANT communities skyrocketed from 67 in 1998 to 161 in year 2000. But the number of participants is only half of the story. Fostering growth through the award levels is a major goal of the PLANT program. Many communities enter at the Bronze Award level and gradually intensify their efforts; others may skip one or more levels to quickly achieve the top Green Award. PLANT encourages communities to intensify their efforts at their own pace. Sustainability is encouraged.
2007 PLANT Award Winners
People Loving And Nurturing Trees
| Name | City | 2007 Award Level |
| Central Region | ||
| Aberdeen Proving Ground | APG | Green |
| Baltimore City Dept Rec & Parks | Baltimore | Green |
| Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. | Baltimore | Green |
| Bel Air, Town of | Bel Air | Green |
| Chesapeake City, Town of | Chesapeake City | Green |
| Church Creek Elementary School | Belcamp | Silver |
| Darlington Elementary School | Darlington | Bronze |
| Gateway School | Westminster | Silver |
| Hampstead, Town of | Hampstead | Green |
| Harford Glen Environmental Education Center | Bel Air | Green |
| Havre de Grace, City of | Havre de Grace | Green |
| Havre de Grace Middle School | Havre de Grace | Silver |
| Hickory Elementary School | Bel Air | Silver |
| Howard County Government | Dayton | Green |
| Jarrettsville Elementary School | Jarrettsville | Bronze |
| Joppa View Elementary School | Perry Hall | Silver |
| Liberty Village HOA | Union Bridge | Silver |
| Maryland National Guard | Havre de Grace | Silver |
| Montgomery Village Foundation | Montgomery Village | Green |
| Mount Airy Garden Club | Mt Airy | Bronze |
| Rockville, City of | Rockville | Green |
| Rosedale Center | Baltimore | Bronze |
| Somerset, Town of | Chevy Chase | Green |
| Sparrows Point High School | Edgemere | Green |
| Sudbrook Park, Inc. | Pikesville | Silver |
| University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Baltimore | Green |
| Whiteford, Cardiff, Pylesville, Street Community Council | Pylesville | Bronze |
| Woodside Park Civic Association | Silver Spring | Green |
| Youth's Benefit Elementary School | Fallston | Gold |
| Eastern Shore | ||
| Benedictine School | Ridgely | Green |
| Berlin Intermediate School | Berlin | Green |
| Buckingham Elementary School | Berlin | Gold |
| Caroline County Recreation & Parks | Denton | Silver |
| Montego Bay Civic Association | Ocean City | Gold |
| Ocean City, Town of | Ocean City | Green |
| Salisbury University Arboretum | Salisbury | Green |
| Sudlersville Middle School Ecol Corps | Sudlersville | Green |
| Worcester County Rec & Parks Dept | Snow Hill | Green |
| Southern Region | ||
| Accokeek Foundation | Accokeek | Bronze |
| Adelphi Hills Community Association | Hyattsville | Bronze |
| Alice Ferguson Foundation | Accokeek | Silver |
| Annapolis, City of | Annapolis | Green |
| Annapolis Road Academy | Bladensburg | Bronze |
| Anne Arundel Community College | Arnold | Green |
| Archbishop Neale School | LaPlata | Gold |
| Berkshire Civic Association | Forestville | Silver |
| Bowie, City of | Bowie | Green |
| Brentwood, Town of | Brentwood | Green |
| Caltor Manor Civic Assoc | Ft Washington | Bronze |
| Calvert Manor Garden Club | Accokeek | Bronze |
| Cameron Grove Adult Community | Upper Marlboro | Bronze |
| Chesapeake Ecology Center | Annapolis | Green |
| Cheverly, Town of | Cheverly | Green |
| Chillum Elementary School | Hyattsville | Bronze |
| Chopticon High School Environmental Club | Morganza | Bronze |
| Collington Residents Association | Mitchellville | Bronze |
| Collington Station HOA | Bowie | Bronze |
| Concord Civic Association | District Heights | Silver |
| Cooper Lane elementary School | Landover Hills | Bronze |
| End Time Harvest Ministries Inc | New Carrollton | Bronze |
| Fort Washington Tabernacle of Praise | Ft Washington | Bronze |
| Greater Accokeek Civic Association | Accokeek | Gold |
| Greenbelt Homes Inc. | Greenbelt | Green |
| Gwynn Park Middle School PTSA | Brandywine | Bronze |
| Henson Valley Montessori School | Upper Marlboro | Bronze |
| Hollywood Elementary School | Hollywood | Gold |
| Hyattsville, City of | Hyattsville | Green |
| James A Forrest Career & Technology Center | Leonardtown | Gold |
| James H Harrison Elementary School | Laurel | Silver |
| Judith P Hoyer Early Childhood Center | Cheverly | Bronze |
| Lake Arbor Civic Association | Mitchellville | Silver |
| Landover Hills, Town of | Landover Hills | Bronze |
| Landover Revitalization Coalition | Landover | Bronze |
| Laurel, City of | Laurel | Green |
| Little Friends for Peace | Mt Rainier | Bronze |
| Maplewood Civic Association | Ft Washington | Bronze |
| Manchester Estates Civic Association | Camp Springs | Silver |
| MD National Capital Park & Planning Commission | Upper Marlboro | Green |
| Mattaponi Elementary School Boy Scouts Pack 239 | Upper Marlboro | Bronze |
| Mechanicsville Elementary School | Mechanicsville | Green |
| Melwood Springs HOA | Upper Marlboro | Bronze |