April 20, 2024

Raytown Parks and Recreation, city and state officials were on hand Wednesday, Apr. 17 for a celebration of Arbor Day and the city’s 21-year Tree City USA designation. Officials included Dave Turner, Raytown Parks and Recreation director; Mike McDonough, Raytown mayor; and Charles Connor from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Tree City USA is a national program that provides communities with a framework to maintain and grow their tree cover. It also gives them an avenue to celebrate their work, showing residents, visitors, and the entire country that they’re committed to the mission of environmental change.

The highlight of the celebration was the planting of a tri-colored beech tree at Kritser Park located at 11707 E 75th Street in Raytown.

The event was co-sponsored by the Raytown Garden Club, the tri-colored beech tree is a large stately color accent tree with incredible green, white, and pink-variegated foliage, with an average height of 30 feet. Its burgundy foliage in the summer and copper fall color and silver smooth bark has been referred to as extremely showy.

After the tree planting, Parks crews gave away free trees.