By Colleen Miller

The Arbor Day Foundation has named Bristol a 2014 Tree City USA for the 14th time in a row.

Bristol routinely meets the four standards set by the foundation to earn the title. To qualify, towns must have a designated tree board or department responsible for the maintenance of trees on town-owned property; a tree-care ordinance to set policies for the care and planting of trees; an annual budget of at least $2 per capita for community forestry; and an annual Arbor Day celebration.

In Bristol, Arbor Day is usually marked by a tree planting with students, scouting troops or other civic-minded people. This year the town will celebrate with the planting of a Zelkova (aka Japanese Elm) on High Street in front of Reynolds School on April 30 at 9:30 a.m. Sixteen first graders from Our Lady of Mount Carmel School will be there to learn about the importance of trees to the environment.

The Zelkova is one of 40 trees to be planted in Bristol this Spring. Bristol residents can request trees for their own properties by calling Susan Francis at Town Hall at 253-7000.

Bristol's connection to forestry goes back much further than 14 years. Around town, one can find trees reaching a century in age, including American elms on the Town Common. Bristol native Dr. Goerge Rogers Hall brought the disease-resistant Zelkova to the Western Hemisphere from Asia in the mid-1800s.

The many benefits of planting trees and meeting Tree City USA standards include reduced energy consumption and costs, reduced erosion, increased property values, and stronger community ties, according to Conservation Commission chairman Ray Payson.

" can be very rewarding for communities," Mr. Payson said. He points out that they improve air quality, soften noise from automobiles and provide nesting space for birds and other animals. Also, "in communities with healthy trees, the crime rate goes down," he said

Mr. Payson also believes there is a therapeutic value to trees that isn't present in buildings, billboards and other man-made sturctures.

"It breaks the skyline of a community," he said. "There's something about trees that makes you more relaxed."