Vista mayor proclaims April 18 Arbor Day as city marks Tree City USA recognition

The mayor of Vista proclaimed Saturday, April 18, 2026, as Arbor Day in the city and announced a tree-planting ceremony and free sapling giveaway at Rincon Terrace Park to coincide with Earth Day.

The proclamation included the announcement that Vista has been recognized as a first-year Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation in its 50th recognition season. The mayor said the designation reflects the city’s “commitment to plant, grow, and maintain trees to benefit our community” and framed the upcoming ceremony as part of a broader effort to develop a public tree master plan to bolster the city’s urban canopy.

“The city of Vista strives to create a healthier and more public and beautiful community for all residents through the development of a public tree master plan to improve Vista's urban public tree canopy,” the mayor said, adding that the city commemorates Arbor Day on April 18 with a planting ceremony and a sapling giveaway at Rincon Terrace Park. The mayor also noted the event is held “in partnership with our great arborist, West Coast Arborist.”

A representative of West Coast Arborist, the contractor the city named to help maintain its urban forestry, told attendees, “We are the tree contractors for the city of Vista. We help maintain the urban forestry and we appreciate the city of Vista having us as a partner and we look forward to many years of maintaining the urban forestry.”

City officials framed the proclamation and the ceremony as a first-step public outreach measure tied to the planning work on the tree master plan; no formal votes or funding decisions were announced at the event. The Arbor Day commemoration is scheduled for April 18 at Rincon Terrace Park, with organizers offering free saplings and volunteer planting opportunities.