City of Rehoboth Beach awarded Tree City USA designation for 35th Year
February 19, 2026
In honor of its commitment to the planting, growing, and maintenance of trees, the City of Rehoboth Beach has been recognized as a Tree City by the Arbor Day Foundation for the 35th consecutive year.
To earn this designation, a city must maintain a tree board or department, have a community tree ordinance, spend at least $2/capita on urban forestry, and participate in an Arbor Day celebration. The City of Rehoboth Beach has exceeded these standards, continuing its dedication to the lining parks and streets with trees.
Urban Forestry and Parks Manager Michael Lilly says public comment and community input has been helpful in choosing trees for planting projects, with the public deciding on Sugar Maples and Northern Read Oaks to replace the Bradford Pear trees that were removed from Stockley St Park last year.
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.
Continuing with a years-long plan to plant more trees on city streets, Lilly is eyeing Hickman Street, Country Club Drive, and State Road to receive street trees this fall. In 2025, the city planted 24 new street trees and are hoping to achieve around the same goal this year with fall plantings.
“Continuing this planting cycle of public space plantings in spring and city streets in the fall”, Lily says, “I hope to increase our overall canopy and native diversity.”
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 is a global nonprofit inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. They foster a growing community of more than 1 million leaders, innovators, planters, and supporters united by their bold belief that a more hopeful future can be shaped through the power of trees. For more than 50 years, they’ve answered critical need with action, planting more than half a billion trees alongside their partners. 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.  To learn more about Tree City USA and other Arbor Day Foundation programs, visit arborday.org/programs.
