Members of City Council and City staff observed the City of Hartsville’s Arbor Day on Dec. 10, 2015 with the planting of a new Southern Sugar Maple tree in Pride Park, located at 630 S. Sixth St.
Mayor Mel Pennington, joined by other Council members, thanked representatives from the Public Service Department and Arborworks Tree Company for their efforts in developing and maintaining Hartsville’s trees.
“We want to thank all of you for taking part in this and helping us maintain our tree canopies all year long,” he said. “You all are very important to us.”
Pennington also presented the proclamation which named Dec. 10, 2015 as Arbor Day in the City of Hartsville. The proclamation highlighted the role of trees in reducing topsoil erosion, reducing utility costs and providing wildlife habitat in the community. It also drew attention to the value of trees as a renewable resource, in improving property values, in enhancing the economic vitality of business districts in and beautifying the city, noting that “trees, wherever they are planted, are a source of joy and spiritual renewal.”
The annual Arbor Day observance serves as one of the factors which has allowed the City of Hartsville to be named a Tree City USA for the last 29 years by the National Arbor Day Foundation, recognizing the City’s efforts at investing in urban forestry.
During the ceremony, City Arborist Stephen Wild detailed the City’s efforts toward earning a Tree City USA Growth Award, given to communities which demonstrate an advanced level of tree care. These local initiatives include replanting the crape myrtles which were displaced by the downtown streetscaping project on South Fourth Street to Washington Street, partnering with Sonoco for the recycling of tree debris and partnering with Duke Energy and Trees for Tomorrow to remove trees and replace them with ones of appropriate size near power lines to help lessen the impacts of regular tree trimmings around the lines.