ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX (Nov. 19, 2014) The Rockwall Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Heath held a tree planting ceremony in celebration of the newly-proclaimed Arbor Day for Heath and several freshly-planted trees at Terry Park.
Heath Mayor Lorne Liechty proclaimed Wednesday, Nov. 19 , 2014 as Arbor Day in the City of Heath in honor of the partnership between TXU Energy and the Texas Trees Foundation which led to the planting of 20 trees at the park. The trees will help beautify the park, add numerous benefits to the ecosystem and, according to Texas Trees Foundation Director of Operations Matt Grubisich, help the county economically as well.
“What these trees do for us, and why we celebrate them, is that they help clean our air and give us oxygen to breathe,” Grubisich said. “They’re great for storm water management. In terms of the ecosystem service benefit these trees are going to give back to the City of Heath and Rockwall County over their lifespan is in excess of about $25,000. That’s a pretty good return on the investment of time and resources that we put in to plant them here, and we couldn’t have done it without the City of Heath.”
“Giving back to parks and cities across the state, I think it helps to bring beautification to areas like Terry Park and to make sure that these trees for a long time to come will be like most of the grown trees in this park,” said Patrick Johnson, energy assistance manager of community affairs for TXU Energy.
Heath Parks Board Chairman John Curtis read out the proclamation written by Mayor Liechty during the event, which stated the numerous perks that trees can bring to a community, including reduction of the erosion process of the topsoil by wind and water, and lowering heating and cooling costs.
“I just want to say how honored the Parks Board is that we can be part of this partnership and receive these trees,” Curtis said. “I think it’s a great benefit to the city, and we hope to see these trees properly maintained so they can grow to fruition.”
Arbor Day was first observed in Nebraska in 1872 with the planting of more than one million trees and in 1970, President Richard Nixon proclaimed the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day. For more information regarding the Texas Trees Foundation, visit its website at texastrees.org.
Story and photo by Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News staff writer and reporter.
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