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Maxwell recognizes Arbor Day, thanks city garden club

  • Published
  • By By Airman 1st Class Alexa Culbert
  • 42d Air Base Wing Public Affairs
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala --  Maxwell recognized Arbor Day by planting a tree outside the Muir S. Fairchild Research Information Center during a ceremony, April 23, 2015, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

The tree is a Shumard oak and is expected to grow anywhere from 80 to 115 feet tall with a canopy of about 40 to 60 feet. A plaque set into the ground near the tree will commemorate its planting on Arbor Day 2015.

During the ceremony, Col. Andrea Tullos, 42nd Air Base Wing commander, encouraged Airmen to promote the need for and protection of trees.

"I urge all military and civilian personnel to support efforts to protect our trees and woodlands, to encourage education about trees that gladden the hearts of those here today and promote the well-being of future generations," she said.

Tullos also commented on the look and feel of Maxwell's trees and what they bring to the community.

"We like to call Maxwell the 'Best Hometown in the Air Force,'" she said. "When driving onto this base, it should not feel like driving onto an industrial air force base, but should feel like you're coming home. What most Airmen here associate with home is the beauty of the trees around our homes, and not just the fact that they're trees, but that they're native to the South. "

Dale Dickens, Alabama Forestry Commission urban forestry coordinator, presented Maxwell with the Tree City USA award for its 22 years of participation in tree care and management.

"I'd like to thank Maxwell for all the work they have done to improve the campus," Dickens said. "It's a pleasure to be here today to recognize Maxwell and explain how trees can add to their effort to secure tomorrow. ... Just as people on this base who are a part of the Air Force are the guardians of the skies, the trees are the guardians of our air, water and soil."

To be considered a Tree City USA award recipient by the National Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters, a town or city must meet four requirements: establish a tree board or department, pass a tree-care ordinance, establish a community forestry program and observe Arbor Day and the proclamation. 

During the event, the newly formed Maxwell Roses Garden Club shared their appreciation to the Camellia Garden Club of Montgomery for developing Maxwell's garden club and providing guidance.

"It's not simply a group of women who are beautifying their own homes," said Marlie Sherer, Maxwell Roses Garden Club president. "They are very involved in conservation locally and our state wildlife. They provide a great deal of education to our young people about conservation and gardening and provide scholarships to horticulture students. We will take what we learn here to future bases and states. We're so thankful for those who have given us this opportunity."

"We're looking forward to working with the garden clubs for advice, what's native, what's welcoming and what gives you that Southern feeling," said Tullos. "I am looking forward to continuing the relationship not just on Arbor Day, but throughout the year."