Since 1976, Tree City USA has been one of the Arbor Day Foundation’s oldest programs.

For more than two decades, Webster City has been on the list of recognized communities.

In a Tuesday news release from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Webster City was among 73 communities that earned the Tree City USA Award as a part of the Urban Forestry Awards.

The accolades will be presented today at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny, on the behalf of the Arbor Day Foundation and the Iowa DNR. Nearby communities also placed on the award list include Ames, Badger, Fort Dodge and Hampton.

To qualify for the Tree City USA award, a city must have either a city forester or an active city tree board, have a tree ordinance, spend at least $2 per capita annually for its community forestry program, and have a tree planting and maintenance plan.

Tree City USA Growth Award winners are Bettendorf, Bondurant, Burlington, Clarinda, Clinton, Coralville, Des Moines, Dysart, Hiawatha, Iowa City, Johnston, Marion, Marquette, Mason City, Oelwein, Polk City, Story City, Waverly and Winterset. Burlington was also given the Tree City of the World Award.

The Tree Campus USA Award recipients are Clarke University (Dubuque), Divine Word College (Epworth), Drake University (Des Moines), Hawkeye Community College (Waterloo), Iowa State University (Ames), Kirkwood Community College (Cedar Rapids) and the University of Iowa (Iowa City) The Tree Line USA Awards went to Alliant Energy, MidAmerican Energy and Waverly Utilities.

Iowa’s Arbor Day falls on Friday, April 28.