The Blackfeet Nation was recognized as the first tribal nation to be designated as a Tree City of the World by the Arbor Day Foundation, according to a news release from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC).
Members of the Blackfeet Nation and partner agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service and the DNRC, gathered on April 21 to celebrate and host a ceremony to honor the recognition.
“We are excited to receive this recognition,” said Termaine Edmo, the Environmental Advisor to the Blackfeet Nation. “It holds more significance in being defined as a sovereign nation of the world. The tribe is committed to restoring culture and connection to traditional plants, knowing that is how we became candidate for the Tree City of the World Recognition.”
More than 1,500 trees were given to local community members as part of the program, nearly tripling the amount distributed last year when the Blackfeet Nation was recognized as the first tribe to be designated a Tree City USA. Additionally, 80 small trees were delivered to various windbreak and shelterbelt system trail species projects in the area.
Trees provide a range of benefits to the Blackfeet Nation, including opportunities for community interaction through planting and maintenance, cultural education, volunteerism, economic development and environmental conservation. The positive impacts signify cultural and community importance to the tribe.
Tree Cities of the World is a program of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Arbor Day Foundation with local partners through the USDA Forest Service and the DNRC Conservation Forestry Division.
DNRC Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator Jamie Kirby partnered with the Blackfeet Nation to secure grant funding through the Trees for Tribal Communities Landscape Scale Restoration Grant – a state and private forestry program established through the USDA Forest Service.
“The Department values the partnership we have with the Blackfeet Nation and other Tribal Nations in Montana, as it allows us to share our commitment to raising awareness of the multiple benefits of community forests, including cultural significance,” Kirby said.
Agencies will begin work on various restoration projects in the area this spring, including restoration plantings for the second phase of the Willow Creek project, installing a rainwater catchment system in the Heart Butte Community Center and establishing a serviceberry seedling orchard for local food sovereignty and sustainability.