Rochester has been designated as a "Tree City USA" for the fourth year in a row, and won an extra award from the Arbor Day Association as well.

Rochester Tree Committee member Matt Monteiro brought the good news to Rochester's Board of Selectmen on April 23.

The town was originally certified as a Tree City USA in 2015. To meet Tree City USA requirements, towns must have some manner of tree committee or board, a tree care ordinance, a community forestry program dedicated to keep the trees healthy and an observance of Arbor Day.

To maintain the designation, towns and tree committees must be actively working to educate citizens on the needs and importance of trees.

The town also won the Arbor Day Assocation's "Growth Award," intended to honor towns with innovative and original forestry programs, as well as increased commitment of resources for urban forestry, according to the association's website.

Rochester's Arbor Day celebration will be held on April 29 this year, beginning at 6 p.m. at Hillside Cemetery off of High Street, Monteiro said. This year the small ceremony will feature a number of tree plantings and a brief reading from Monteiro.

"Hey, well we've lost a lot of trees," said board chairman Woody Hartley. "We could do with planting a few more."