Tinker students help celebrate Arbor Day

  • Published
  • By Jason Kirkpatrick
  • 6th Civil Engineer Squadron natural resources program manager
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  MacDill Air Force Base students from Gen. Clarence Tinker Elementary School helped celebrate Arbor Day on April 26 with a tree-planting event and the annual reading of the Arbor Day Proclamation.

Robert Hughes, 6th Civil Engineer Squadron director, was on hand to read the proclamation and participate in a ceremonial tree planting.

A certified arborist from the Tampa Electric Company provided a wealth of information to the students on the value and benefits of trees. For instance, trees improve air quality.

Trees also provide windbreaks, shade and erosion control, create habitats and food for wildlife, improve aesthetics, provide wood and paper products and can even reduce heating and cooling costs.

The students learned that to become a "grand oak" in Florida, an oak tree must measure at least 34 inches in diameter at chest height and be in good condition, receiving a minimum of 175 tree points. The points are established using a tree point system.

The students planted five pine trees and an oak tree on the school grounds during this year's Arbor Day celebration. Pine trees were chosen because historically the landscape at MacDill was dominated by longleaf pines, a long lived and important part of Florida ecosystems.

Longleaf pine trees in Florida can live to be several hundred years old, and the oldest living pine tree, located in California, is 4,844 years old.

Annual tree planting events such as this one illustrate MacDill's commitment to the environment, and specifically to managing our forest resources in a sustainable manner. It is this commitment has earned MacDill the designation of a "Tree City, USA," 17 years in a row as of 2012.

The designation, bestowed by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Florida Division of Forestry, honors MacDill for its focus on tree management that benefits the base in many ways. This award recognizes the hard work, time and funding that MacDill commits to properly managing tree resources on base in a way that benefits its residents, employees, neighbors, wildlife and natural environment.