Glen Arbor designated as Tree City USA
From staff reports
Glen Arbor earned the designation of Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation in late February. A small, but persistent, group of local business owners and residents decided that it was time to ensure Glen Arbor’s recognition of trees as being crucial to the natural beauty of the small town’s scenic corridor/backdrop and the globally rare ecology of the surrounding Glen Lake and Crystal River watersheds. They worked for over a year to gain community support and build a coalition, the Glen Arbor Beautification committee (GAB), and meet the standards of the Arbor Day Foundation.
Martin Kimpston, a native Nebraskan, Glen Arbor resident/business owner and GAB member, inspired the initiative to seek Tree City USA designation, by realizing that “nearly every town in Nebraska, small and large, is designated a Tree City USA due to the Arbor Foundation being in Lincoln, Neb.” Martin went on to reference the village of Northport, at the tip of Leelanau County as another small town with Tree City USA status located close by.
“It just made sense and seemed very simple, if Northport can be a Tree City, then so can Glen Arbor,” said Kimpston.
With that, the GAB saw the Tree City USA designation as a way forward to instill a sense of pride in the Glen Arbor community of business-owners and residents for keeping and maintaining the existing trees and forests, while finding ways to plant additional trees in the area. GAB founding member Rebecca Benedict, also a Glen Arbor resident and HQ Executive Assistant at Cherry Republic, stated that “In a place where Lake Michigan meets forest canopy, stewardship isn’t optional—it’s essential. Achieving Tree City USA status signals that Glen Arbor is committed not only to preserving our natural heritage, but to leading with intention in how we care for our environment.”
Another GAB founding member, Kait Springsdorf, who is also a Glen Arbor resident and a manager of the Crystal River Recreation District/M-22 Store in Glen Arbor, is excited to gather support from local businesses and organizations with GAB’s endeavors.
“My natural resources (Sustainable Parks, Recreation & Tourism) background from Michigan State University gives me the knowledge to know that this initiative will have positive impacts on the Glen Lake Association’s watershed work, the Conservation Resource Alliance’s work on the Crystal River and businesses that rely on these recreational assets in Northern Michigan,” said Springsdorf.
To achieve this milestone, GAB consulted with regional foresters and the Michigan DNR liaison to the Arbor Foundation/ Urban and Community Forester/Partnership Coordinator, Lawrence Law. Law makes the point that, “Glen Arbor being recognized as a Tree City USA is important because no matter the size of the community, we need to reward and celebrate the great work of those who take care of our community trees and the natural environment around us. It’s Glen ARBOR not Glen Concrete. Taking the steps to be awarded this honor demonstrates how good a place Glen Arbor is at identifying and maintaining what makes their area great. It’s proactive, smart, and inspiring management from a smaller Michigan community that we are proud to assist.”
GAB founding member, Chris Sack, said that, “Glen Arbor is surrounded by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the amazing forest ecosystem that it provides. It is easy to take the presence of trees and forests on our private property for granted as we develop these lands for both business and residential purposes. What we are doing, however, is slowly stripping away the very thing that makes us fall in love with Glen Arbor, Glen Lake and the Crystal River watershed!”
Sack continued, “I have enjoyed the livelihood that my business, Great Lakes Tea & Spice, has provided in Glen Arbor for 20 years, and it is always a balance between conserving the thing that makes a place amazing and beautiful, and not loving it to death.”
“Glen Arbor is called Glen ARBOR because of its trees. Keeping the Arbor in Glen Arbor means literally everything to Glen Arbor.” Sack insists. “This will be our tagline going forward.”
GAB looks to be a resource for educating community members about trees and forests and the direct and indirect value they provide. They have consulted and will continue to consult with the tree and forest health specialists at Schillinger’s Tree Doctor and local arborists to develop a plan that will optimize the visual beauty of the trees in town and help them thrive well into the future.
GAB is also working steadfast to provide a vision and blue-print for a “Future Glen Arbor” GAB’s first official tree plantings took place at The River Club in agreement with it’s owner/founder, Mike Sheldon, in November 2025. Sheldon had the following to say, “As business leaders in Glen Arbor we benefit from those who came before us. Continuing to beautify our community today is a great way of paying it forward.” GAB is hoping to partner with organizations like the Glen Lake Garden Club and Glen Arbor Art Center in their efforts to develop this vision of a future Glen Arbor that considers the many stakeholders in the community. Several businesses, including Northwoods Hardware, Glen Arbor B&B and Cherry Republic, have offered their support in the planning and planting process.
In the summer of 2025, GAB also planted black willow trees cloned from Michigan’s champion black willow by the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive and Glen Lake Community School’s students.
GAB plans to celebrate Arbor Day this Spring with more tree plantings at Cherry Republic and other spaces in and around Glen Arbor’s business district/scenic corridor. Activities aim to include educational sessions with information for locals from knowledgeable sources.
To contact the Glen Arbor Beautification committee, please email at info@gabeautification.org
