MOULTRIE, Ga. — The City of Moultrie celebrated Arbor Day with the planting of a Chinese fringe tree at the Georgia Department of Labor building on Main Street.

Along with the city’s celebration of Arbor Day, Mayor William McIntosh was presented with the National Forestry Commission’s Tree City USA certification for the 33rd straight year.

The event began with a welcome from McIntosh, who gave a brief history of Arbor Day and the significant roles trees play in our everyday lives.

“Arbor Day signifies the day when we are to take time to plant trees. To provide life to them when they provide so much for us; from the protection against soil erosion to bracing and breaking the harsh winds, trees are an invaluable resource that should never be neglected,” McIntosh said during his presentation. 

Following an invocation from Moultrie City Councilwoman Wilma Hadley, McIntosh read a proclamation making Feb. 18, 2022, Arbor Day in Moultrie. He, Hadley and Councilwoman Lisa Clarke Hill were presented by members of the local NFC with the Tree City USA certification. 

The certification is a certification that highlights a government’s dedication to preserving, planting and pruning trees within their jurisdiction, according to Moultrie Public Works Director Danny Ward. 

“This is something that we have to apply for every year,” Ward said in an interview following the event. “I believe the requirements state we have to spend around two dollars per capita which is about $30,000. We easily do that between planting, pruning and removing dead or diseased trees. We even will water them if it gets too dry and we don’t get much rain.” 

The public works department planted approximately 30 trees in 2021 but Ward and Beautification Supervisor James Tanner hope to surpass that number in 2022.

“We’ve got many oak trees coming in that we are going to be planting within the year,” Tanner said as he worked to flatten the last few layers of topsoil for the new tree. 

“We are still identifying the places these trees will go,” Ward said. “But once that is figured out we’ll get to putting the trees in once they’re here.” 

The tree that was planted in honor of Arbor Day is a Chinese fringe tree, which was chosen for its “white blossoms in the spring, ornamental fruit in the fall, its beautiful bark in the winter” and the tree’s sturdiness, according to Tanner. 

“With a tree like this, you need something that is going to be sturdy and will do well. When it’s so near a roadway like this,” Tanner gestured to North Main Street, which was less than 20 feet away from the tree’s new home. “You have to have something that will be okay with limited root growth and can handle all the things near a roadway.”

The tree is approximately a year old, Tanner said, and it should reach full maturity in about six to ten years.

“This is something we’ll be able to enjoy for years to come and for those coming in or going out of town to experience as well,” McIntosh said after the tree planting was completed.