NAS Pensacola Hosts Tree Planting Ceremony in Recognition of Tree City USA Recertification

Photo By Bruce Cummins | PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola Naval Facilities Command Southeast (NAVFAC SE) Natural Resources Manager Jim Kane explains the significance of Tree Awareness Week and the base's 28 year history as part of the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree City USA during a brief tree-planting ceremony Dec. 7 at the Public Works Department. Kane, along with other NAS Pensacola Public Works and (NAVFAC SE personnel, planted a Live Oak tree during the ceremony.  

UNITED STATES

12.07.2022

Courtesy Story

Naval Air Station Pensacola

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Service members and civilian employees at the ‘Cradle of Naval Aviation’ participated in a tree-planting ceremony Dec. 7 designed to kick-off the organization’s Tree City USA recertification.

Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola Executive Officer Cmdr. John Godbehere – along with NAS Pensacola Deputy Public Works Officer (DPWO) Jim Kane and Naval Facilities Command Southeast (NAVFAC SE) Natural Resources Manager Michael Hardy – planted a Live Oak tree near the base’s Public Works Department.

The tree planting ceremony, a mainstay of NAS Pensacola’s 28-year history with Tree City USA, comes at the onset of Navy Tree Awareness Week (Dec. 5 through 11), a local initiative highlighting proper tree management and providing education and tree care information to NAS Pensacola service members and civilian employees.

Godbehere said NAS Pensacola employs rigorous standards to maintain certification in the Tree City USA program, citing the base’s Natural resources team as instrumental in the program’s ongoing success.

“To continue as part of the Tree City USA organization, the NAS Pensacola Natural Resources team ensures that an allocated cost is directed toward forestry projects, maintains an Urban Forestry Ordinance [tree instruction], and has a board to decide on tree mitigation issues,” he said.

“Each of these serve to raise the awareness of how important trees are to our society, and cements us as part of a program protecting urban community forestry areas at which thousands of towns, cities and military communities are based.”

Tree City USA is an Arbor Day Foundation program designed to promote greener and healthier communities at a national level. NAS Pensacola has maintained the distinction of being a ‘Tree City’ for nearly three decades, something Godbehere said is reflective of the ongoing efforts of organization staff.

“Without the constant dedication and hard work of our Public Works and NAS Pensacola team, the management and maintenance of such a large expanse of urban area would not be possible,” he said. “It takes cooperation from everyone to have a successful forestry program as we do today.”

Founded in 1976, the first Tree City USA cohort was comprised of 42 communities in 16 states. Today, the program includes more than 3,600 communities from all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. NAS Pensacola initially received Tree City USA designation in 1994.

For more information on the Tree City USA program, visit the Arbor Day Foundation website.

NAS Pensacola, referred to as the "Cradle of Naval Aviation," is designed to support operational and training missions of tenant commands, including the Naval Aviation Technical Training Center (NATTC); Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC); Marine Aviation Training Support Groups (MATSG) 21 and 23 and serves as the headquarters for Naval Education and Training Command (NETC).

• Date Taken: 12.07.2022
• Date Posted: 12.08.2022 10:37
• Story ID: 434752
• Location: US