Area residents can remove an invasive Bradford pear tree from their property and exchange it for a free native tree at the Wake Forest Bradford Pear Bounty Saturday, March 18, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Public Works Operations Center, 234 Friendship Chapel Road. Registration is required at https://bit.ly/WFBradfordPearBounty and will remain open until the event reaches capacity. Trees are unable to be shipped or reserved for later pickup, so pre-registered participants must collect their trees from 9 to 11 a.m. Before registering, please note the following: • Only homeowners can register and receive replacement trees. • Tree removal is the homeowner’s responsibility. Select local tree care companies will offer Bradford pear tree removal discounts for program participants. • Pre-registered participants must take before-and-after photos of the Bradford pear trees they’ve cut down. • If the tree was not flowering when cut, an additional photo with a close-up of

The Urban Forestry Division (UFD) is celebrating Arbor Day this year by again offering a contest that tree lovers across Wake Forest are sure to love. From now through Saturday, April 1, the UFD will accept nominations from residents for the Wake Forest 2023 Tree of the Year award. Trees may be nominated for their size, species, historic significance, personal meaning, community benefit or general notoriety – but they must be located within the Wake Forest town limits. To submit your choice, visit http://bit.ly/WFTreeofYear, complete the nomination form and upload a photo of your tree. Finalists will be selected by Town staff, then voted on by the community during the week of April 3. The tree that receives the most votes will be announced as the winner during Forest Fest on Saturday, April 15. The person who submits the winning tree will receive a certificate crowning their tree as the

Based on the February 2023 Monthly Development Report, WF Planning Updated March 15, 2023 The updated Wake Forest population as of July 2022 is 54,274. In 2021 the population was 50,244. How rezoning and development requests are now heard Planning Director Courtney Tanner gave this response to a query: All legislative cases (rezonings) have a public hearing at the Commissioner meeting and a public comment session at the Planning Board. A special use permit has a public hearing at the Commissioner meeting. Administrative (correct zoning and comply with the UDO) cases are approved at the staff level. What town board approval means now Senior Planner Patrick Reidy explained what the town board’s approval of new subdivisions means under the new state and town requirements. “They approved the conditional rezoning/master plan. Both projects will need to go through Construction Plan approval before they can start site work. I would expect a

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department will present “Memorial Day Remembrance Walls of Honor” throughout May at E. Carroll Joyner Park, Alston-Massenburg Center, and Flaherty Park. In recognition of the service and sacrifice of women and men in uniform, these Walls of Honor will bear the names of as many as 500 veterans submitted by members of our community. Through Friday, April 14, the PRCR Department will accept submissions, including the names of veterans, both living and deceased, along with the military branch in which they served, for inclusion on each wall. Please note: Names included on the Walls of Honor last year will be included again this year and do not need to be resubmitted. There is no cost and no limit to the number of veterans each person can submit. However, the maximum number of names that can be accepted is 500. Complete details,