CITY OF BROOKSVILLE TO CELEBRATE ARBOR DAY

Brooksville, Florida (April 22, 2024) – The City of Brooksville’s Beautification Board and the Brooksville City Council are excited to announce they will be hosting the 35th Annual Arbor Day Celebration on Friday, April 26, 2024, at 10:00 am. Volunteers and officials will gather at Tom Varn Park located in Brooksville at 301 Darby Lane. The community-invited program begins with a welcome from Richard Ross, Beautification Board Member, sharing of information about Arbor Day, planting of a tree, an appearance by ‘Sparky” the Fire Dog as well as refreshments. Members of City Council, the Beautification Board, Arborist Jovania from Robert Tree Service, Vincent Morris from Forest Resource Administrator, City staff and students/faculty of Hernando High School’s Project Looking Ahead program, led by Ms. Jeanne Ledbetter, will be participating in this year’s celebration. This year’s sponsor is CML Garden Center who generously donated the tree for planting. Arbor Day has been observed in America since 1872, the day was first recognized as a tree planting holiday in Nebraska, by founder and editor J. Sterling Morton. The first celebration date was set for April 10 where prizes were offered to counties and individuals for the largest number of properly planted trees on that day. It was estimated that more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first Arbor Day. The City’s Annual Arbor Day celebration plays a significant role in maintaining Brooksville’s Tree City USA® designation along with the other requirements of a Tree Board, a Tree Care Ordinance, and an annual Community Forestry budget of at least $2 per capital. The City first received the Tree City USA® designation 30 years ago by the Arbor Day Foundation as a result of the Tree Board’s and City’s tree-focused efforts. In addition to an Arbor Day celebration, the City proclaimed Friday, April 26, 2024, as Arbor Day in the City of Brooksville during the April 15, 2023, regular City Council Meeting. For more information about Brooksville’s Arbor Day celebration contact Jordan Metzel, Parks and Recreation-Recreation and Community Programs Manager, at (352) 540-3830 or mgozalez@cityofbrooksville.us.