Arbor Day celebrated at Veterans Wall of Honor
The city of Bella Vista held its Arbor Day celebration on Monday, March 20, at the Veterans Wall of Honor.
The Honor Guard presented the colors, and Mayor John Flynn read the Arbor Day proclamation, which stated that Arbor Day was proposed in 1872 and was first observed in Nebraska with the planting of 1 million trees. The holiday is now observed throughout the U.S. and around the world, the proclamation said.
Flynn recognized members of the Tree Advisory Board including Chairman Mike Abb, Cheryl Hall, Chuck Woods, Linda Lloyd and Graham Edwards, all of whom have been on the board more than four years, and Laura Hoffert and Nancy Dugas-Gilmore, who have been on the board almost two years.
Flynn said the Tree Advisory Board’s duties assisting in planning and organizing an annual Arbor Day celebration, advising the city in the management of trees and vegetation on city lands, advising the city of the need for an increased tree canopy and the general health of trees along the trail networks and educating the public about trees and their management.
Flynn thanked Scott VanHook and the Arkansas Forestry Commission for the gift of the tree. He thanked the Veterans Council of Northwest Arkansas for providing a location for the event and a home for the tree. He also recognized Raines Tree Care for planting the tree and Chuck Woods for delivering it. Finally, he thanked the Walton Family Foundation for donating trees to be given away at the city’s spring tree giveaway on April 21.
Then Flynn assisted David Raines of Raines Tree Care in planting the tree, a bald cypress, which can grow to 30 feet tall or more. The tree was planted in a spacious area to give it plenty of room to grow.
The Arkansas Forestry Commission gifted the bald cypress tree due to the city being once again named a Tree City USA by the Forestry Commission and the Arbor Day Foundation.