Indiana Success Story: Northern
Indiana Public Service Company
Northern Indiana Public Service Company
(NIPSCO) is an excellent example of a utility
forestry program working with their commu-
nities to strengthen and expand the urban
forest. NIPSCO is one of only two utilities in
the nation to be awarded the Tree Line USA
Award every year since the program's incep-
tion in 1993. Much like Tree City USA with
its standards, the Tree Line USA program
follows its own five core standards:
1. Quality Tree Care
2. Annual Worker Training
3. Community Tree Planting and Education
4. Tree-Based Energy Conservation Programs
5. Annual Arbor Day Celebration
Serving over 1.2 million customers in the
northern third of Indiana, NIPSCO works with
many communities that do not have a munic-
ipal tree program. Their partnership with
these towns fills a critical gap, performing
needed tree work and offering tailor-made
planting projects to support canopy growth
and health. NIPSCO's work has included:
• Planting over 2,500 replace-
ment trees annually
• Building two utility arboreta to
demonstrate proper tree selection
and planting near power lines
• Offering Arbor Day celebrations to
more than 15 communities each year
• Becoming the first utility in Indiana to
join the Energy Saving Trees Program
• Being a founding partner of CommuniTree
• Sponsoring several communities
in the Tree City USA Program
• Acting as advisors/educators for local,
state, and national forestry/utility groups
28 CityTREES
