The Corporation of Harpers Ferry is actively seeking a volunteer to serve on the Tree Committee. Those interested in seeking appointment should send a letter of interest to Town Clerk Nancy Cummins (ncummins@harpersferrywv.us), to the attention of the Mayor and Council.

When cities plant trees, they do more than make the place look nice.  They also help cut energy use (by reducing the need for air conditioning), store carbon dioxide, trap airborne pollutants, and intercept rainfall.  Oh, and raise property prices:  As any real estate agent will tell you, "leafy neighborhoods" are more valuable than non-leafy ones.  Read more here.

Tuliptrees seem to inspire poetic interpretation. Leaves appear snipped off at the tips by supernatural scissors, forming the silhouette of a stylized tip. The tree’s flowers, the real reason for the name tuliptree, stand singly at the tips of twigs — six large, yellowish petals that to American naturalist Donald Peattie, “hold the sunshine in their cups, setting the whole giant tree alight.” Later in the season, dry, cone-like fruits continue the picturesque parade with their resemblance of little torches held boldly aloft. Read more.

The objectives and authority of the Tree Committee are detailed in Codified Ordinance 1104, officially titled the Harpers Ferry Tree Conservation Ordinance. The Committee is responsible for the enforcement of the Ordinance, the provisions of which are enacted to:

• Establish a responsible authority for the management of the Corporation’s urban forest;
• Establish and maintain the optimal amount of tree cover on public property in the Corporation;
• Maintain the Corporation’s trees in a healthy and non-hazardous condition through good arboricultural practices; and
• Establish and maintain diversity in appropriate tree species and age classes to provide a stable and sustainable urban forest.

The Harpers Ferry Tree Committee officially consists of eight members:  five voting members, appointed by the Town Council; the Town's Maintenance Supervisor; one representative from the West Virginia Division of Forestry; and one representative from Potomac Edison (successor to the former Allegheny Power).  Of the five voting members, one must also be a member of the Planning Commission.  In addition, the Mayor of the Corporation of Harpers Ferry is considered an agent of the Committee.

Through efforts of the Tree Committee, Harpers Ferry was first designated a Tree City USA community by the National Arbor Day Foundation in 2008.  As part of the requirements to be recognized as such, a resolution approved by the Town Council the same year designated the fourth Friday of every April as Arbor Day in the Corporation of Harpers Ferry, although since 2009 each Arbor Day ceremony has been held on the fourth Saturday instead of Friday.

Meetings of the Tree Committee are held the fourth Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Room at Harpers Ferry Town Hall.