Local garden club to celebrate Arbor Day

Arbor Day is a nationally celebrated observance that promotes the benefits of trees in the urban environment and encourages tree planting and care.  

The Destin Garden Club will be celebrating Arbor Day in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs and the 22nd anniversary of the Destin Club. The public is invited, and the ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on Jan. 19 at the Women Veterans Memorial Park on Okaloosa Island, located behind the Convention Center. 

The 30-minute ceremony will include remarks by Mayor Bobby Wagner, Okaloosa County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel, and Cindy Dohner, retired Regional Director of the Southeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Dohner will briefly speak about the benefits of trees in our coastal environment. The event will conclude with a ceremonial bald cypress tree planting and an invitation to tour the park. 

Florida celebrates Arbor Day in January because many trees are dormant and lose less water through evaporation of water from leaves this time of year, making them easier to transplant without putting them through too much stress. In celebration of Florida’s Arbor Day, citizens are encouraged to do their part in helping to reduce air pollution, conserve energy, and beautify the State of Florida by planting trees. Planting native trees protects the environmental balance and beauty of the Sunshine State by preventing the spread of invasive plants and offsetting some of the potential impacts of climate change. 

Laura Hall is a member of the Destin Garden Club.