SANTEE, Calif. — The City of Santee has a new nickname, "Santree". That's because the city has nearly 8,400 trees that it cares for as part of the city's Climate Action Plan, known as the Sustainable Santee Plan.
Sam Rensberry is a public works supervisor for the City of Santee and said the name Santree came from their annual Arbor Day event. The Arbor Foundation gave the city the designation of Tree City USA.
"It's been around for a while. When we do our Arbor Day events, which makes us Tree City USA designation for 19 years now," Rensberry explained. "So you have to meet a certain criteria to get the certification. The main one is $2 per capita per resident."
Santee's 60,000 residents at $2 per person adds up to $120,000 to spend on the city's trees.
The full requirements for a community to receive annual Tree City recognition are:
- Maintaining a tree board or department
- Having a community tree ordinance
- Spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry each year
- Celebrating Arbor Day
Helping Santee keep up with all of the trees is West Coast Arborist, who the city contracts with to trim the trees and focus on plant health care.
Rensberry said that the arborist also helps identify where and what type of tree to plant. "It's very important to plant the right tree in the right place. It's one of the most important criteria when planting a tree."
And trees add much more than just beauty. "It reduces the heat island effect, it cools your pavement, it cools your neighborhood, it sequesters carbon in the wood," Rensberry said.
That's why trees are part of Santee's Climate Action Plan that identified in the shade coverage on 14% of the pavement by 2030 and 23% by 2035.
Rensberry gets to be part of it, "You kind of leave a legacy, you remember walking by a tree in the park you planted."
Santee is planting for the future and plans on keeping the title of Tree City USA for years to come.
WATCH THROWBACK: Santee Elementary School library in San Diego filled with teddy bears in 1987