Photo By Jonelle Kimbrough | Major General Scottie D. Carpenter, Deputy Commanding General of the Army Reserve...... read more read more
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Scottish poet Alexander Smith said, “A man doesn’t plant a tree for himself. He plants it for posterity.”
On the first Arbor Day in 1872, journalist J. Sterling Morton and thousands of pioneers planted one million trees in the Nebraska Territory. Arbor Day is now observed throughout the world, and the United States Army Reserve Command joined the tradition on March 16 with its inaugural Arbor Day Celebration.
The Army Reserve depends on many critical, natural resources such as reliable energy, clean water, and accessible land – land on which we train our Soldiers, construct our Reserve Centers, and manage our habitats. A healthy environment contributes to mission readiness and resilience. Trees, in particular, are vital to the environment and beneficial to the Army Reserve. They reduce erosion and moderate temperature, and they filter pollutants from our air and water. Well-placed trees can even reduce heating and cooling costs for our facilities because they act as wind shields in the winter and provide shade in the summer. Trees also increase our property values and enrich our communities. Arbor Day is an opportunity for the Army Reserve to publicly acknowledge its important role in and demonstrate its commitment to the preservation of Earth.
Major General Scottie D. Carpenter, Deputy Commanding General of the Army Reserve, hosted the Arbor Day Celebration at Marshall Hall, the Army Reserve Command’s headquarters on Fort Bragg.
Colonel Brian E. Griffin, Director of the Army Reserve Installation Management Directorate, opened the celebration on a clear, sun-filled day under North Carolina’s distinctive blue sky. “Arbor Day serves as a reminder for all of us to be aware of our environment and to try to reforest public and private land,” he said.
Carpenter recited the official Arbor Day Proclamation from the Arbor Day Foundation. “I do hereby proclaim March 16, 2018 as Arbor Day at United States Army Reserve Command,” he read. “I urge all citizens to celebrate Arbor Day and to support efforts to protect our trees and woodlands. Further, I urge all citizens to plant trees to gladden the heart and promote the well-being of this and future generations.”
Carpenter and Griffin then planted the Arbor Day tree – a maple tree – in the Marshall Hall courtyard. The maple tree will complement the natural hydrology, or water management features, of the Army Reserve Command’s campus. “[The Marshall Hall courtyard] holds a lot of water, and maple trees prefer wet areas,” explained Lance Van Wormer, a landscaper at Marshall Hall. Van Wormer said that the maple tree will enhance the site with its vivid color, too. Culturally, maple trees represent balance, success, promise, and abundance.
For the Army Reserve, the tree is indeed symbolic of the success that the Command has achieved in sustainability thus far, as well as its promise to protect our planet for the future. “Sometimes, we take our environment – and how we live in and coexist with our environment – for granted,” Carpenter remarked. “[Arbor Day] is about more than just planting a tree. This is about who we are. This is about our next generation, where we’re going, and what we will leave for them.”
Visit sustainableusar.com for more information on Army Reserve sustainability programs. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/SustainableUSAR and follow us on Twitter @SustainableUSAR or #USARGoGreen.
Visit https://www.flickr.com/photos/sustainableusar/ to see photos of the event.
| Date Taken: | 03.16.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 03.16.2018 13:26 |
| Story ID: | 269674 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 85 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Strong Roots Run Deep: Army Reserve Command Celebrates Arbor Day, by Jonelle Kimbrough, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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