Rehoboth Beach named a Tree City for 35th year in a row
For the 35th consecutive year, Rehoboth Beach has been recognized as a Tree City by the Arbor Day Foundation.
Urban Forestry and Parks Manager Michael Lilly has been with the city for about 18 months. He said he’s hoping to increase the city's overall canopy and native diversity by continuing a planting cycle that includes public space plantings in the spring and city streets in the fall.
As part of a Feb. 19 press release announcing the continued recognition, Lilly listed a number of ongoing initiatives:
• In Stockley Street Park, a handful of Bradford pear trees were removed last year. They will be replaced with sugar maples and northern red oaks
• This spring, plantings will focus on Lake Gerar, with plans to plant six different species of trees around the walking trail along with deciduous trees to provide shade to vehicles on Lake Avenue. Twenty-one new trees are expected in this project
• The city planted 24 new street trees in 2025 and is hoping to achieve around the same goal this year with possible fall plantings on Hickman Street, Country Club Drive and State Road
• The city will celebrate Arbor Day by hosting a planting and proclamation ceremony at Stockley Park with Rehoboth Elementary students in April.
The Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA program is operated in partnership with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service. For a community to earn this designation, it must maintain a tree board or department, have a community tree ordinance, spend at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and participate in an Arbor Day celebration.
