Today is Arbor Day in Houma-Terrebonne, TPC encourages residents to plant trees

During their regular meeting, the Terrebonne Parish Council proclaimed that today, February 15, 2025 will be celebrated as Arbor Day, and urges citizens to plant trees to promote the well-being of this and future generations.

In celebration of Arbor Day, the Terrebonne Parish Tree Board will celebrate its 19th Annual Tree Giveaway on Saturday, February 15, 2025, beginning at 9:00 AM at the Main Library in Houma.  This year’s tree giveaway includes the distribution of 200 container trees that are native to Louisiana. This event is for Terrebonne Parish residents only, and there will be a limit of two trees per household.

The Tree Giveaway program is made possible by a generous grant from the Apache Corporation Tree Grant Program. Through their support, Terrebonne Parish citizens can benefit from the physical and mental health advantages of being exposed to healthy, lush trees.

The proclamation in celebration of Arbor Day reads as follows: “WHEREAS, in 1872, J. Sterling Morton proposed to the Nebraska Board of Agriculture that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees; and WHEREAS, this holiday, called Arbor Day, was first observed with the planting of more than one million trees in Nebraska; and

“WHEREAS, Arbor Day is now observed throughout the nation and the world; and WHEREAS, trees can reduce the erosion of our precious topsoil by wind and water, cut heating and cooling costs, moderate the  temperatures, clean the air, produce life-giving oxygen, and provide habitat for the wildlife; and

“WHEREAS, trees are a renewable resource giving us paper, wood for our homes, fuel for our fires, and countless other wood products; and WHEREAS, trees in our city increase property values, enhance the economic vitality of business areas, and beautify our community; and

“WHEREAS, trees, wherever they are planted, are a source of joy and spiritual renewal; and WHEREAS, the purpose and goal of the Terrebonne Parish Tree Board is a primarily the planting and preservation of trees on Parish owned public properties in order to enhance stormwater mitigation, air and water quality, economic development, community livability, and public appreciation of trees.

“NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Terrebonne Parish Council, on behalf of the Parish President, Jason W. Bergeron, and the entire Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government, that the day of February 15, 2025, be
hereby proclaimed as ARBOR DAY In HOUMA-TERREBONNE, and that all citizens be urged to celebrate Arbor Day, to support efforts to protect our trees and woodlands, and to plant trees to gladden the hearts and promote the well-being of this and future generations.”