Grapevine gives away 100 trees in celebration of Arbor Day

Texas A&M Forest Service is celebrating 100 years of service with 100 trees to 100 communities — including Grapevine, which passed along those trees to area residents in a “Tree Dedication Ceremony” on Nov. 6.

“This is our 30th year receiving trees from A&M,” city Horticulturist Lisa Adams Grove said. “We are really excited.”

The tree giveaway was at The REC of Grapevine on a first-come, first-served basis. The annual event featured fun events for children “in hopes of getting the younger generation excited about the environment, gardening and nature early,” Grove said.

The tree saplings were bald cypress, Texas fall elm and burr oak.

“We are celebrating Arbor Day and proclaimed Nov. 6 Arbor Day,” Grove said, adding that they were awarded their Tree City USA Flag.

Citizen foresters were available to answer tree questions.

According to a news release from Texas A&M at College Station, 100 communities across Texas were chosen to receive a special delivery of 100 trees in honor of Texas A&M Forest Service’s centennial year, capping off a full year of celebrating the agency’s commitment to conserve and protect Texas’ trees and forests.

Aiming to help communities expand their urban tree canopy, 10,000 seedlings were grown at the TFS-operated West Texas Nursery specifically for “100 Trees for 100 Communities.” Signup first was open to Texas’ Tree City USA communities — including Grapevine — then expanded to other cities and towns.

“What better way to celebrate our centennial than to honor 100 Texas communities that have demonstrated their commitment to conserving and protecting their urban and community forests?” Tom Boggus, state forester and director of Texas A&M Forest Service said in a news release.

Following some tough years of weather, especially this year’s flooding that occurred in much of the state, many communities are in great need of trees, officials said.

“This has been a way to assist communities in their recovery efforts, and it provides an opportunity to connect with some of our smaller communities,” Gretchen Riley, partnership coordinator at Texas A&M Forest Service, said in a news release. “We don’t often have trees to give away and it’s very nice to be able to offer trees across the state.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 11:04 AM with the headline "Grapevine gives away 100 trees in celebration of Arbor Day."