New Port Richey, FL (Jan. 25, 2017) – Members of the city staff and city council, the city’s Environmental Committee, the New Port Richey Garden Club and the fourth grade class from Genesis Elementary School celebrated the City of New Port Richey’s 28th consecutive Arbor Day on Friday, Jan. 20 in Frances Avenue Park. The event also recognizes New Port Richey as a “Tree City USA” and the importance of trees in our environment and in our world.

Former City Council member and chair of the Environmental committee, Dell deChant, spoke about the historic and contemporary context of the event and the city’s reforestation project. Also on the program were Mayor Rob Marlowe, City Manager Debbie Manns, and Jean Manning representing the  New Port Richey Garden Club.

Genesis School’s fourth grade class presented an Arbor Day program and later helped the city’s Public Works and Parks departments plant new trees in celebration of Arbor Day and the city’s designation as a National Tree City USA.

In 1854 J. Sterling Morton moved from Detroit to the area that is now the state of Nebraska. At that time there were virtually no trees in the area and he and the other pioneers desired to have them in their surroundings. They also noticed that trees were needed to act as windbreaks to stabilize the soil and to provide shade from the sun, fuel and building materials. Morton planted many trees around his own home but wanted to encourage and enable others to do the same.

At a Nebraska State Board of Agriculture meeting on January 4, 1872, he proposed a holiday to plant trees on April 10, 1872. This was known as “Arbor Day” and prizes were awarded to the counties and individuals who planted the most trees on the day. A total of about one million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first Arbor Day.

All states in the the country now have an official Arbor Day, usually at a time of year that is has the correct climatological conditions for planting trees. Many observations of this day are in April, but Florida is one of nearly twenty other states that celebrates Arbor Day at different times of the year. Similar events to encourage the planting or care of trees are arranged in many countries around the world. The dates are usually chosen to coincide with the optimal season for planting or caring for native trees.

Arbor Day is symbolized by the trees that are planted on the day or as a result of fundraising activities. The official Arbor Day logo shows a mature deciduous tree and the words “celebrate Arbor Day.” The symbol of the Arbor Day Foundation is a similar tree in a circle, symbolizing the importance of trees to the whole planet. Local initiatives may use their state tree as a symbol.
Members of city council and staff along with representatives from the New Port Richey Garden Club gather with the Genesis School children at the city’s 28th Arbor Day celebration that took place in Frances Avenue Park in late January. From left to right in the back: Councilman Jeff Starkey, City Manager Debbie Manns, Mayor Rob Marlowe, Genesis teacher, Louisa Jaenichen, Environmental Committee chair, Dell deChant, Jean Manning, New Port Richey Garden Club, Councilman Chopper Davis and Deputy Mayor Bill Phillips.

Photo 2:  Louisa Jaenichen,  fourth grade teacher at Genesis School, guides her students as they prepare to help members of the New Port Richey Parks Department plant a new live oak at Frances Avenue Park of Arbor Day in New Port Richey.