The City of Destin will hold its Annual Arbor Day Event at the Destin Library located at 150 Sibert Avenue on Friday, April 26, at 10 a.m. The event will feature a guest speaker and a tree planting ceremony by the City’s Environmental/Tree Committee.
The ceremonial tree has been donated by Vision Landscaping. Mayor Sam Seevers will host the ceremony. The featured guest speaker will be Vandy Vela-Schneidt who serves as a Destin Chamber of Commerce Ambassador and is on the Board of Trustees for the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida. Her presentation is titled “Oh the Stories Trees Could Tell.”
The City will give away a Tulip Tree seedling to the first 50 people to arrive at the ceremony. The public is welcomed to bring their own seedlings to trade with other tree enthusiasts.
“We are blessed to live in such a wonderful community that flourishes in the spring and summer with incredible beauty,” said Seevers. “During this Arbor Day celebration, we will give pause to remember just how important a healthy environment is to us all. It is with great pleasure that the city will plant a ceremonial tree to show our dedication to preserving our natural resources.”
Additionally, this year the City of Destin has been named a Tree City USA community by The National Arbor Day Foundation to honor its commitment to urban forestry. This is the 11th year Destin has received this national recognition.
The Tree City USA program is sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service. In order for Destin to receive the Tree City USA recognition, four standards have to be met: the City must have a tree board, a tree ordinance, a community forestry program and an Arbor Day observance.
According to the National Arbor Day Foundation, Arbor Day is a nationally celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and tree care. Founded by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872, National Arbor Day is celebrated each year on the last Friday in April.