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Maxwell celebrates Arbor Day, earns 16th-straight Tree City USA

  • Published
  • By Joy Ovington
  • Air University Public Affairs
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. --  Base leaders, tree-planting volunteers, children from Maxwell Elementary School, and even Woodsy the Owl got down and dirty in honor of Arbor Day on Feb. 19.

Recognition of the day was in the form of a ceremonial tree planting and program at the school, and two days later, 100 base volunteers helped to restore Prattville's trees hit hard by a tornado in February 2008.

For the sixteenth consecutive year, Maxwell has been named a Tree City USA community by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the U.S. Forest Service.

Beth Osgood, who works for Maxwell Support Division Civil Engineering, explained that Arbor Day traditionally involves school children and how they learn to promote tree awareness.

"We have planted three trees and the children will participate in the tree-planting ceremony," she said. "The trees planted here are ring-cupped oak trees, a rare variety of oak tree that we have on the inner circle here on base. Jane McCarthy of the Maxwell Arboretum sprouted the acorns from those trees."

Ms. Osgood also said that in 2008, the children planted trees to start their outdoor science classroom, and this year the trees planted out at the playground will provide shade for them as they play.

Jimmy Lawrence, also with MSD's civil engineers, explained that Maxwell has met the four standards to become a Tree City USA community: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program and an Arbor Day observance.

"It's a big landmark and we hope to keep our streak going as we continue to spur interest in environmental conservation," he said.

Students participated in the Arbor Day program through activities, poems, and songs. At the assembly, the kids were quick to talk about trees, saying they provide us with oxygen, climbing, wood, shade, fruits and nuts, and provide homes for animals. The second graders, wearing colorful South American masks they'd made, sang about the diminishing rainforests and provided a call to action to save them.

The benefits of planting trees are not limited to aesthetics. According to the Arbor Day proclamation signed by Col. Kris Beasley, 42nd Air Base Wing commander, trees can reduce the erosion of topsoil by wind and water, cut heating and cooling costs, moderate the temperature, clean the air, produce oxygen and provide habitat for wildlife.

"Trees on our bases increase the value or our base and enhance the vitality of our housing area and other parts of our base," the colonel said reading from the proclamation. "Maxwell wishes to remain a Tree City USA -- we want to continue to manage our trees and add to them."

Mrs. Beasley was also in attendance to enjoy the day with their 4th grader, who said she "loves trees." Her favorites are the Aspen trees because "they are so beautiful" and the oak trees because they are so "strong and powerful."

To exemplify Maxwell's commitment to community forestry, Maxwell volunteers headed to Prattville to help Project ReLeaf on Saturday. The goal of the effort was to replace and increase the lost canopy by planting 1,000 five-gallon trees, one for each residence, business, and city property affected by the tornado that struck Feb. 17, 2008.

Prattville's Mayor, Jim Byard, Jr. lauded Maxwell for being always at the ready.

"The City of Prattville and the Maxwell-Gunter community have a long history of support of each other," he said. "Just after the tornado hit last year, the senior leadership of Maxwell was on the ground in Prattville."

Mayor Byard added that last several hundred Officer Training School students assisted with the initial debris cleanup.

"Saturday we have another group of [officer trainees] helping plant trees for our ReLeaf effort," the mayor said. "Just as last year, the OTS cadets made the difference and helped restore hundreds of lives."

National Arbor Day was founded by J. Sterling Morton in 1872 to encourage tree planting and tree care. Promoted by the National Arbor Day Foundation, the last Friday in February marks the 137th anniversary of this tree-planting holiday, which is celebrated in all 50 states and many countries worldwide.

Today, Arbor Day is observed in every state, the dates varying with the climate of the region. It serves as a day to reflect on the benefits of our urban green spaces and provides an opportunity to contribute to tree replacement that will enhance the natural beauty of our community for future generations.

To learn more about Arbor Day, visit the National Arbor Day Foundation's Web site at www.arborday.org.