Municipalities hold Arbor Day observances

By John Underwood / john@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 2/19/19

Local municipalities will be going green celebrating Arbor Day this month as part of the National Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA program.Bay MinetteThe Bay Minette Beautification …

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Municipalities hold Arbor Day observances

Posted

Local municipalities will be going green celebrating Arbor Day this month as part of the National Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA program.

Bay Minette
The Bay Minette Beautification Committee will hold its annual Arbor Day Tree Giveaway on Saturday, Feb. 23, at Bay Minette City Hall. The giveaway will begin at 8 a.m. and will remain open while supplies last.
Varieties of trees available will include: Carolina Silverbell, Yellow Poplar, American Sycamore, Shumard Oak, Southern Catalpa, Common Persimmon, Red Maple and Southern Magnolia.

Residents will be limited to six trees per household.
In addition to the free trees available, Bush Blueberry Farm will be on hand to sell fruit trees and blueberry bushes.
For more details, call City Hall at 251-580-1625.

Silverhill
The Town of Silverhill will hold its annual Arbor Day program Friday, Feb. 22 at the Silverhill Community Center on South Avenue.
Trees will be given away beginning at 9 a.m. and will include 3-gallon trees, including star magnolia and bottle brush. Some will be in 3-gallon pots. Small plus of bottle brush trees will be available.
Three-gallon trees will be available only to Silverhill utility customers. There will be other donated trees to be given to others.
Once all the trees are given away, the town will host a tree planting.

Robertsdale
The City of Robertsdale will hold a tree giveaway beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 in the north section of Honeybee Park on Alabama 59.
This year, the city plans to give away 1,200 trees as part of its tree giveaway program, including pawpaw tree, fringetree, Western mayhaw, sweetbay magnolia, wild black cherry and sawtooth oak.
The city will hold a drawing to give away a corkscrew willow in honor of Arbor Day, and a bottle brush in honor of Alabama’s bicentennial. You must be present to win. For more information call Park, Street and Tree Committee Chairman Sonja Conner at Robertsdale Public Works, 251-947-8950.
The town of Loxley held its annual tree giveaway on Friday, Feb. 15 at the Loxley Civic Center.
The annual Arbor Day celebrations are part of the local municipalities’ qualification as a Tree City USA community.
In order to qualify as a Tree City, municipalities must meet four standards established by The Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters.
According to the Arbor Day Foundation website, arborday.org, the standards were established to ensure that every qualifying community would have a viable tree management plan and program and were designed so that no community would be excluded because of size.
In order to qualify for Tree City USA status, municipalities must:
• Have a tree board or department.
• Adopt a tree care ordinance.
•Maintain a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita.
• Hold an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.
Arbor Day was originated in Nebraska City, Neb., by J. Sterling Morton. The first Arbor Day was held April 10, 1872 and an estimated 1 million trees were planted that day.
Many countries now observe a similar holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date varies, depending on climate and suitable planting season.