The Bettendorf Trees Are Us Committee was established in 1991 as the City of Bettendorf committed to address tree plantings, tree maintenance, and tree concerns citywide. The Committee is comprised of a dedicated group of citizens that meet monthly to create inventories and planting proposals within the City of Bettendorf. In December 2025, the Bettendorf Trees Are Us Committee was awarded the Growth Award by the Iowa Urban Tree Council and has gained the status of Tree City USA for the 29th consecutive year for their efforts in helping the City of Bettendorf replant and establish our urban canopy.
In 2016, after killing hundreds of millions of ash trees nationwide, the Emerald Ash Borer arrived in Bettendorf. The Bettendorf Trees Are Us Committee is the only 
volunteer group in the state of Iowa that has implemented a treatment plan to preserve the majority of its ash trees. As of Spring 2025, the committee continues to treat 315 Ash trees with a survival rate of over 95%. The Committee has also played a major role in the repopulation of trees along parks & recreation trails. The Committee dealt with the damage from the 2020 derecho, where over 90 fully grown trees were damaged or uprooted and hundreds suffered limb damage.
Since its inception, the Bettendorf Trees Are Us Committee has planted over 2,700 trees and pruned thousands more. The Committee regularly schedules mulching and pruning dates. To learn more, contact Jason Manfull at [email protected].