Timber! (Ohio leads the nation in Tree City USA communities)

Maybe going way back to Ohio native Johnny Appleseed, the state's residents seem to have an abiding relationship with trees.

So much so that Ohio is - once again - the nation's leader in the Tree City USA campaign. More than 48 percent of Ohioans live in a Tree City USA community, says the the Ohio Division of Forestry's chief David Lytle.

Last year, Ohioans planted more than 38,500 trees, pruned more than 110,00 trees and donated a whale amount of time in efforts to spruce up parks and preserves.

In 1997, Ohio became the first state to have more than 200 Tree City USA communities, Lytle also said.

In fact, Lytle says, Ohio grows more acres of trees than it does corn and soybeans combined.

Here are some of the area's Tree City USA participants:

Cuyahoga County - Bratenahl, Chagrin Falls, Cleveland Heights, Euclid, Richmond Heights, South Euclid.

Geauga County - Burton Village, Chardon.

Lake County - Eastlake, Fairport Harbor Village, Mentor, Perry, Wickliffe, Willoughby.


- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischkorn@News-Herald.com