Municipalities to hold Arbor Day observances

By John Underwood / john@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 2/7/18

Local municipalities will be going green celebrating Arbor Day this month as part of the National Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA program.LoxleyThe Town of Loxley will hold its tree …

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Municipalities to 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.

Loxley
The Town of Loxley will hold its tree giveaway Feb. 9 at the Loxley Municipal Park.
The town will give away approximately 900 trees beginning and 8 a.m. and lasting until all the trees are gone.


Silverhill
The Town of Silverhill will hold its annual Arbor Day program Friday, Feb. 23 at the Silverhill Community Center on South Avenue.
Trees will be given away beginning at 9 a.m. and will include two varieties of sasanqua camellias, Yuletide camellias in 3-gallon pots and ShiShi Gashira camellias in 1-gallon pots.
You must be a resident of Silverhill and be able to provide proof of residency to receive a free tree, said Tree Committee Chair Carolyn Koch.
Once all the trees are given away, the town will host a tree planting. The tree this year will be donated by Lindsey Landscaping, Koch said. Also, sasanquas to be given away have been donated by Field in Bloom nursery in Silverhill, Koch said.

Bay Minette
The City of Bay Minette will host its annual Arbor Day tree giveaway beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Bay Minette Public Library, 205 W. Second St.
Tree varieties include Eastern red bud, sweet bay magnolia, thunder cloud plum, crepe myrtle, river birch, Yoshino-cherry trees, apple trees and pear trees.
The Beautification Committee will have master gardeners on hand to answer any questions and free coffee and donuts will be provided by City Hope Church. The give-away will last until noon or until all the trees are gone. For more information call 251-580-1619.

Robertsdale
The City of Robertsdale will hold a tree giveaway beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 24 in the north section of Honeybee Park on Alabama 59.
This year, the city plans to give away 1,050 trees as part of its tree giveaway program, including Flatwoods plum, hoptree, wild olive, fringetree, redbud and longleaf pine.
At around 9:30 a.m., the city will hold a drawing to give away a citrus tree. 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 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.