Arbor Day the Destin Garden Club way
Celebrating Arbor Day in January with the Destin Garden Club on Okaloosa Island was not for the pale of heart.
Garden club members arrived at the Women Veterans Monuments shortly before the celebration begins at 10 a.m. on Jan. 19. The sun was out but the temperature was 51 degrees with wind whipping across the dunes.
Many veterans, county officials, and interested community members also braved the day.
Arbor Day translates to “tree” day from the Latin word for the word arbor.
Destin Garden Club marked its 22nd anniversary by planting a bald cypress tree at the Women Veterans Monuments at Veterans Park.
Cindy Dohner, Destin Garden Club member and Retired Regional Director of the Southeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service explained some information concerning the bald cypress tree and its planting.
“This cypress has a medium growth rate and reaches a mature height of about 60- to -80 feet and a spread of 20 to 25 feet. It can live for up to 600 years," Dohner said.
Dohner knew of one such tree in North Carolina that lived for 1,500 years.
“The knees that protrude above the ground transport oxygen to the underground root system. The Florida coast can be challenging for many trees, with salt spray and sandy soil low in nutrients. The cypress tree is well adapted to these harsh coastal conditions,” Dohner said.
After opening remarks from Kathy Foster and the pledge of allegiance from Anne Collins, President of the Destin Garden Club, County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel gave some of the history of Arbor Day and its beginning with Julius Sterling Morton in 1872 in Nebraska when it was estimated that nearly one million trees were planted on this special day.
Commissioner Ketchel brought a proclamation from the Board of Commissioners of Okaloosa County to designate Jan. 19 as “Florida Arbor Day.” Arbor Day has now spread globally and is included in all our states. The most common date is in April, but times are set to coincide with the best tree-planting weather. For Destin and our area, it is January. Mayor Bobby Wagner made several remarks at the gathering, telling the group that he grew up with dirty hands, playing in the dirt, and was good at planting things.
If you join the Arbor Day Foundation for $10, you can receive 10 free trees and a discount of 33-56% on the purchase of more than 100 varieties of trees. Your 10 free trees will be small, but with proper care, they will grow.
Laura Hall is a freelance journalist and longtime Destin resident.