Missouri Arbor Award of Excellence is an awards program Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Missouri Community Forestry Council (MCFC) that recognizes sustained and thoughtful care of community trees. Click for MDC / MCFC Press Release

While not a award winner, the Raytown Tree Board received a Citation of Merit because “your efforts are exemplary and deserve recognition". The Awards Luncheon took place March 2nd during the Missouri Community Forestry Council convention at Truman State University in Kirksville.

For more information, see Cityscapes-Promoting Stewardship for Missouri's Community Forests, Spring 2011 newsletter

Tree Board members, Steve Bankston, Marie Pickard and Diane Krizek, and Raytown Parks Director, Kevin Boji, and Superintendent, Ron Fowler, were present to receive the award.

Pictured left to right, Steve Bankston, Marie Pickard, Diane Krizek, Kevin Boji,
Lisa Allen, MDC State Forester, and Ben Grossman, MCFC Chair.
Photo by MDC

This grant to the Raytown Tree Board funded the fabrication of 33 sign posts and ID signs for trees in the walking arboretum in Henry C. Kritser City Park at 11907 E 75th St. These tree marker signs include an engraved illustration by Charles Sargent Sprague and the common name, species, height, spread and the tree's attributes. This identification of 33 different tree species will serve to become an educational resource for local school children and the general public.

The Tree Board did all the tree species research signs. Raytown Parks installed the sign posts while members of the Raytown Tree Board mounted all the tree ID signs.

The City of Raytown, Missouri has won Tree City USA awards for the past seven years, the latest awarded in 2009! This award is provided by The National Arbor Day Foundation, in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.

More . . .

Through the efforts of volunteers, Board members and the Parks department, we applied for and won two TRIM Grants from the MDC.  Our application is compared to dozens that are submitted and the awards are granted to those cities that show the most positive affect and execution of their plan to enhance the Tree Scape. Our Tree Board understands the importance of education and the power of knowledge concerning the care and maintenance of trees so each year we will apply for another TRIM Grant to continue that endeavor.

• TRIM GRANT 2009
  Raytown Parks and Recreation, the parent organization of the Tree Board, was awarded a TRIM Grant for inventorying and databasing all of the trees within the parks system. Click here to see NBC Action News KSHB-TV coverage that aired February 4, 2010.
• TRIM GRANT 2007
  The TRIM Grant is quite a coup to achieve and we are proud to say the monies received this year purchased approximately 40 trees, multiple rose bushes and spruce not only for the beginning stages of an extensive redesign and beautification of what we call the SANTE FE TRIANGLE located at the intersection of Blue Ridge Extension and Blue Ridge Cut Off but also along the south side right of way and Raytown Trafficway.

We have now planted more than 40 trees in the past two years and have plans for more. The projects will continue and we will attempt to keep you updated on them.

• TRIM GRANT 2006
  In 2006, Raytown received a $19,180 TRIM grant. With this money, several hazardous trees were removed in Parks throughout Raytown. Nineteen trees were planted along Raytown Road between 63rd and 59th. This grant also allowed three Tree Board members and three Parks Department staff to attend the annual MCDC conference in St. Louis in March, helping us to gain a better knowledge of how a community can work with the state and the nation to heighten awareness of our urban forests.

Money from the grant was also used to purchase booth space at the annual Raytown Roundup Days festival. In September. such a booth allows our board to become more familiar with our citizens and to provide educational materials and information on tree care in general. We also purchased an International Society of Aborists (ISA) Certification Study Guide so Parks staff could work toward becoming certified as ISA arborists. One of our Park's employees became a certified ISA arboris during the Summer of 2006.