- September 19, 2024
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The city of Ormond Beach celebrated Florida Arbor Day with the planting of a new live oak tree at the Environmental Discovery Center on Friday, Jan. 20.
Florida Arbor Day, celebrated on the third Friday of January every year since 1886, encourages and promotes the planting of new trees. Environmental Discovery Center volunteer Joan Tague, who was the city's guest speaker during the ceremony, said she hopes many trees are planted all over the state.
"And I hope trees are planted every day, because trees are just a wonderful, wonderful thing," she said.
The new tree was donated by Yellowstone Landscape. Mayor Bill Partington highlighted both the city's Tree City USA designation — 2023 marks Ormond's 32nd anniversary of being a member — and the almost 150 acres that make up Central Park, within which the EDC at 601 Division Ave. is located.
"If you fly over Ormond Beach, certainly it's very green anyway, but you see this whole area which looks like a big, green postage stamp, with some lakes in the middle of it," Partington said. "It's a wonderful asset and we're very protective of it, and it's fun for us as a commission to set the policy for staff to continue to improve it for our residents."
Tague, who is also the vice president of the Halifax River Audubon, spoke to the children in attendance about the importance of trees and the role they play in the ecosystem. She challenged them to look at them closely.
"Observe and see what's going on," Tague said. "Journal, draw pictures, really understand and start asking questions about what's going on with a tree."
The National Arbor Day will be celebrated on April 28.