2012 Arbor Day Tree
Planting Competition Winners Will Compete for State Award
HOUSTON, TX – Seventeen teams will race to plant 1,700 trees
on a Harris County Flood Control District stormwater detention basin site this
Saturday at the Texas Urban Forestry Council’s 2012 Arbor Day Tree Planting
Competition sponsored by the Houston Area Urban Forestry Council and the Flood
Control District.
The competition kicks off at 9 a.m. at the stormwater
detention basin located south of Fallbrook Drive off the northbound West Sam
Houston Parkway North feeder road. The
basin stores overflow stormwater on a Flood Control District drainage channel
that serves as a tributary to White Oak Bayou in northwest Harris County.
Not only are the teams competing against each other to plant
the trees as fast as possible, but they must plant them correctly so that they
ensure a long and fruitful life for each tree. The Houston Area Urban Forestry
Council will submit the final planting times of thetop
three teams in each category – professional, amateur and youth – and they will
compete for the Texas Urban Forestry Council’s top award.
The Flood Control District will furnish the trees and
maintain them for a two-year period while they establish root systems. The
Houston Area Urban Forestry Council will supply volunteer judges and timers for
the event.
Through this annual event, the Houston Area Urban Forestry
Council is able to educate participants on proper tree planting and maintenance
methods and the Flood Control District and taxpayers are the beneficiaries of
trees on a formerly bare stormwater detention basin site. All participants have the opportunity to take
part in an event that promotes tree planting in Harris County during a time
when many trees have been lost to disease and drought.
Heather Saucier, the Flood Control District’s spokeswoman, said this stormwater
detention basin site was selected for the District’s 2012 Tree Planting Program
and the District was proud to have it serve as the site for the2012
Arbor Day Tree Planting Competition. The
competition lends an air of excitement to the District’s tree planting
operations.
Saucier said the Flood Control District is the No. 2 tree-planting government agency in
Harris County and plants approximately 20,000 trees every year
through its Tree Planting Program. New tree plantings occur during planting
season (typically October through March) on project sites throughout Harris
County.
The Flood Control District alsomaintains
a tree nursery where there are about 6,000 trees in various growth stages.
While the most visible reward gained from tree plantings is the beautification
of bayous, creeks and stormwater detention basins, trees alsoreduce
the risk of erosion in drainage channels and lower maintenance costs, Saucier
said. They also improve water quality, create a shade canopy that reduces
mowing costs and provide wildlife habitat.
ABOUT THE HARRIS COUNTY
FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT
The Harris County Flood Control District provides projects
that reduce flooding risks and damages from bayous and creeks, with appropriate
regard for community and natural values. With more than 1,500 bayous and creeks
totaling approximately 2,500 miles in length, the Flood Control District
accomplishes its mission by devising flood damage reduction plans, implementing
the plans and maintaining the infrastructure. To learn more about the Flood
Control District, visit www.hcfcd.org.
Pictured: Eleven teams planted 1,200 trees in approximately two hours
on the Harris County Flood Control District’s Mason Creek Hike and Bike Trail
during the Texas Urban Forestry Council’s 2010 Arbor Day Tree Planting
Competition, which was sponsored by the Houston Area Urban Forestry Council and
the Flood Control District. Seventeen teams are expected to compete during Saturday’s
competition, also sponsored by the Houston Area Urban Forestry Council and the
Flood Control District.
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