Arbor Day celebration planned on April 29 at North Water Tower Park in Sarasota

First 20 attendees to receive free Florida native sapling

North Water Tower Park is located just south of 47th Street in Sarasota, east of U.S. 41. Photo courtesy of Visit Sarasota County

Everyone in the community is invited to attend an outdoor, family-friendly Arbor Day celebration on Friday, April 29, from 9 a.m. to noon at North Water Tower Park, the City of Sarasota has announced.

The park is located at 4700 Rilma Ave. in Sarasota.

The first 20 attendees will receive a free Florida native sapling, a news release points out.

“The event will feature a self-guided eco-tour through the beautiful North Water Tower Park woods,” the release notes. “Certified arborists will be available to answer questions and discuss a wide range of tree topics, from scientific and common names to their numerous benefits,” the release adds.

A ceremony that will start at 10:30 a.m. near the park pavilion will feature the planting of a pignut hickory by city commissioners, arborists, and Parks and Recreation staff, the release continues.

For more than 35 years, the City of Sarasota has been honored by the National Arbor Day Foundation with a Tree City USA award for maintaining and expanding the city’s urban forest, the release points out.

The Arbor Day Foundation website says that, in 2020, 3,676 cities nationwide won the Tree City USA designation; the investments in the urban forestry totaled $1,455,188,121, with 749,568 trees planted.

“Trees provide significant benefits, including intercepting stormwater, purifying the air, preventing erosion, mitigating urban heat island effect, providing wildlife habitats, increasing property values, and reducing stress,” the city news release adds.