MOULTRIE, Ga. — Arbor Day is a holiday in which Individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Residents of Moultrie are invited to observe the holiday at the Arbor Day Celebration.

This year’s Arbor Day Celebration will be February 16 from 11 a.m. until noon at the City of Moultrie Wastewater Treatment Facility.

Moultrioe Mayor Bill McIntosh delivered a proclamation at the last city council meeting, making Feb. 16 Arbor Day for Moultrie.

This year the city will plant an oak tree at the ceremony, which was bought with the Tree Committee’s budget.

The Forestry Commission will present a new flag to the city, meaning the city has once again met all qualifications to be named a Tree City.

Moultrie has been a part of the Tree City USA communities in Georgia for 28 years, according to the Arbor Day Foundation’s website.

The Tree City USA program has been promoting tree planting across America since 1976.

According to the Arbor Day Foundation’s website, in order to qualify as a Tree City USA community, the city must meet four standards established by the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters

Each city must have a Tree Board or department, a tree care ordinance, a Community Forestry Program with an annual budget, and an Arbor Day Observance and proclamation.

Executive Director of the United Way of Colquitt County Angela Castellow, also serves as a member of the Moultrie Tree Committee. She said the importance of the holiday is to emphasize that the trees are important.

“If we don’t protect them, once they’re all gone, you wonder ‘well, how did that happen?’” Castellow said.