Arbor Day Planting at Soccer Fields

NACOGDOCHES CELEBRATING ARBOR DAY WITH PLANTING AT SOCCER FIELDS
 
Local volunteers will celebrate Arbor Day at 9 a.m. Friday, November 2, by planting more than 200 trees at the Clint Dempsey Soccer Complex, 600 E. Pilar St., with help from a number of supporting organizations.
 
As a Tree City USA designee, Nacogdoches holds annual Arbor Day events that include tree plantings. This years' event brings together many organizations that care about Nacogdoches and the beauty of our community. Local residents are invited to participate, and volunteers can park at the soccer complex.
 
The project is a joint venture between the Garden Capital of Texas Committee and the Nacogdoches Parks and Recreation Department. SFA Gardens staff and the Texas A&M Forest Service will be on hand to instruct volunteers on the proper technique for tree planting. Keep Nacogdoches Beautiful will also pitch in with shovels, gloves and water for all volunteers.
 
The Clint Dempsey Soccer Complex hosts a number of kids- and adult-league games and practices, and a number of local residents walk the LaNana Creek Trail that circles the fields. Trees will be planted along the walking trail and along the playing fields.
 
"These fields and the trail are used so frequently, we wanted to add some shade," Brian Bray, Director of Community Services, said. "These trees will help improve the complex and make it an even better place for area families to enjoy for years to come. This will be a pretty impressive planting effort."
 
“Volunteers will be planting a range of different shade tree varieties suitable for the South,” Dawn Stover, SFA Gardens research associate, said. "We like to plant native and adapted trees as they are more likely to thrive for the long-term,” Stover said. “Volunteers won’t have to do any heavy lifting. The city staff will pre-dig the holes. All the volunteers have to do is place the trees in and fill the holes and add the proper amount of mulch.”
 
 This Arbor Day celebration continues the planting tradition and will add substantially to the number of trees in public spaces. During last year's tree planting event, community volunteers planted more than 100 trees at the new completed sportsplex on the northeast side of town.
 
The Texas Legislature officially designated Nacogdoches as the Garden Capital of Texas in 2013. The Nacogdoches Garden Capital of Texas committee is a subcommittee of Keep Nacogdoches Beautiful and is made up of local volunteers dedicated to educating, engaging and inspiring Nacogdoches citizens to become involved in beautifying their green spaces. To learn more about the Garden Capital Committee, please call Katie Rudisill at 936-560-5624, or visit their facebook page, facebook.com/gardencapital