Congratulations to the City of Nacogdoches, Texas, for being selected as the Texas Arbor Day 2016 host city.
Arbor Day is celebrated the first Friday in November each year in a different Texas City. This year, the City of Nacogdoches celebrates being the Oldest Town in Texas with its 300th birthday and will host fellow Texans in a statewide celebration of trees.
The community has roots in traditional forestry as the home of the Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjacks and the Arthur Temple College of Forestry. But Nacogdoches, a Tree City USA, also values urban and community forestry having recently been named the Garden Capital of Texas by the state legislature.
“We would be proud to host the rest of the state and join in celebrating our forestry heritage and growth in urban forestry,” Nacogdoches City Planner Larissa Philpot said.
To commemorate this historical milestone, the Garden Capital of Texas Committee members plan to plant 300 trees in the community, with the ceremonial 300th tree being planted on Arbor Day at Millard’s Crossing Historic Village.
According Philpot, the city also plans to celebrate Nacogdoches’ historic and champion trees by highlighting their histories with photographs and seedlings grown out from these trees.
The celebration while still in the planning phase, will also feature a ceremony, educational activities and giveaways. The events are free and open to the public.
Everyone is invited to participate either by attending the festivities Nov. 4, 2016 in Nacogdoches, by planting a tree in their own communities, or by just taking a minute to enjoy and celebrate trees and the vital resources they provide for us every day.
“Arbor Day, above all, presents a tremendous opportunity to teach fundamental lessons about the stewardship of our natural resources and caring for our environment,” Paul Johnson, Texas A&M Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator said. “This is a great opportunity for families to come out and learn about trees and how they protect and affect us.”
Texas first observed Arbor Day in 1889, celebrating the benefits that trees provide over a lifetime. Today, the state Arbor Day celebration is a collaborative effort among Texas A&M Forest Service, the Texas Forestry Association, the Texas Chapter of the international Society of Arboriculture, the host city and numerous non-profit organizations.
Please mark your calendars and check this website for evolving information about this historic event.
