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  • NEWSROOM: TEXANS CELEBRATE ARBOR DAY IN PLANO, TEXAS

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    November 1, 2019

    Texans celebrate Arbor Day in Plano, Texas

    PLANO, Texas — Texans from across the state gathered today in the City of Plano to celebrate the State Arbor Day and make the connection between trees and human health.

    Today’s celebration, Healthy Trees Healthy Lives, supports part of the City’s mission to educate and engage the community through excellent service delivery that protects health and promotes a sustainable environment.

    “Arbor Day presents a unique opportunity to teach fundamental lessons about stewardship of our natural resources and caring for our environment,” said Plano Urban Forester Angela Kralik.

    The celebration, held at Bob Woodruff North Pavilion, included a ceremony and tree planting honoring City Manager Tom Muehlenbeck who brought Tree City USA to Plano in 1989, followed by an education fair for kids.

    “We celebrated Plano’s 30 year anniversary as a Tree City USA today, and honored our former city manager, Tom Muehlenbeck, for his contribution and foresight in seeing that Plano received this special designation,” said City Manager Mark Israelson. “A grove of 30 trees were planted and dedicated in honor of Tom and his commitment to greening our city.”

    This Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives theme of this year’s Arbor Day highlights the connection between community trees, forests and human health. Research findings increasingly reinforce what much of the forestry community already knows — that trees and forests have a positive impact on human health.

    On Arbor Day, we emphasize the importance of conserving and managing our urban tree canopy specifically to positively affect human health and create happier, healthier communities.

    According to Paul Johnson, Texas A&M Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program Leader, the City of Plano was selected as this year’s host city for their excellence in community forestry. City departments joined forces to amplify the importance of trees in their community through the power of education, environmental health and sustainability.

    We encourage all Texas communities to celebrate trees and to learn about the health benefits they provide for us every day — like lowering blood pressure and heart rate, encouraging outdoor activities and generally healthier lifestyles, and decreasing mental fatigue by relaxing and restoring the mind. This is a great opportunity for families get out and learn about trees and how they protect and affect us.

    Even if you missed today’s ceremony, Texas A&M Forest Service is making it easy for anyone, anywhere to participate in Arbor Day. We’ve provided tips online to help communities create a memorable Arbor Day, as well as educational activities for schools, groups and families to get outdoors and learn more about trees.

    Please visit http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/arborday/ for ideas on how to host an Arbor Day ceremony. Here you can also find instructions on how to properly plant a tree and activities about the benefits of trees, tree parts and how to identify a tree by its leaves or structure – plus so much more.
    About Texas Arbor Day: Under the leadership of the Texas Forestry Association, Texas first observed Arbor Day in 1889, celebrating the benefits that trees provide over a lifetime. Today, the Texas State Arbor Day is sponsored by Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas Forestry Association and the Texas Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture.

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    Contacts:

    Steve Stoler, City of Plano Director Media Relations, 972-941-7321, stevest@plano.gov

    Kelley Crimmins, Community Outreach Specialist, Plano Parks and Recreation, 972-941-5400, kcrimmins@plano.gov

    Paul Johnson, Texas A&M Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator, 512-872-2816, pjohnson@tfs.tamu.edu

    Texas A&M Forest Service Communications Office, 979-450-6606, newsmedia@tfs.tamu.edu
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