Photo courtesy of Lori Salter-Schommer.
Hoover Mayor Gary Ivey and Aldridge Gardens officials attend a previous Arbor Day celebration.
The Hoover Beautification Board will host the city’s annual Arbor Day celebration at Aldridge Gardens on Saturday, March 5. The event helps educate children and the public about the importance of maintaining a healthy urban tree canopy. The ceremony includes a tree giveaway and the announcement of the winners of the Arbor Day Student Essay Contest in the Hoover schools.
The tree giveaway is to begin at 9:30 a.m., the formal Arbor Day ceremony at 10:30 a.m. and the ceremonial tree planting at about 11 a.m.
Roughly 125 trees will be given away to Hoover residents and some Hoover City Schools, according to Hoover city forester Colin Conner.
There will be about a dozen varieties of seedlings, including dogwood, oak and longleaf pine, and there will be certified arborists and other landscape professionals on hand to answer questions.
These celebrations have helped to qualify Hoover as a Tree City USA since 1999, according to Conner, who says that “the ultimate goal” of the event is to enhance the city’s urban forest.
“Whether they be yard trees, park trees, parking lot trees, common area trees (or) buffer trees… healthy and structurally sound trees of a desirable species add significant and sometimes irreplaceable value to our city,” Conner said.
The positive ecological impact of trees is undeniable, according to Conner. “Among other environmental functions, trees clean air and water, regulate temperature and provide habit for an assortment of wildlife,” he said.
Arbor Day is a chance for children to learn more about the benefits of tree planting. “During each school’s Arbor Day program we show students how to plant trees properly,” Conner said. “We also let students help with the actual plantings which tends to be the highlight of the program.”
For more information, call 444-7500 or go to hooveral.org, click on “Government Services” and then “Beautification Board.”
Aldridge Gardens is located at 3530 Lorna Road in Hoover. For more information, go to aldridgegardens.com.
