FLORIDA, USA — Earth day was last Thursday, National Arbor Day is tomorrow and April is Earth Month. So, let’s talk about trees.
You may be a little bitter if allergies are getting the best of you. But, all sniffles aside, have you ever wondered just how vital trees truly are?
Here are 10 tree-mendous facts to re-leaf your curiosity,
1. Trees help clean the air, conserve soil and water, moderate temperature and hold space for nature.
2. Tampa has been a designated Tree City USA for the past 40 years and St. Petersburg for the past 36 years. The Tree City USA program, established in 1976, is based on four core standards:
- Maintaining a tree board or department
- Having a community tree ordinance
- Spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry
- Celebrating Arbor Day.
More than 3,400 communities have committed to becoming a Tree City USA.
3. Florida’s state tree is the Sabal Palm.
4. Tampa was recognized by the MIT Sensable City Lab as being the number one city in the world with the most trees based on a Green View Index measurement that looks at the canopy cover in highly-populated cities.
5. There are more than 460 native tree and shrub species in the state of Florida.
6. The seven most common types of palms in Central Florida are: Paurotis Palm, Needle Palm, Scrub Palmetto, Dwarf Palmetto, Saw Palmetto, Coontie and the Sabal Palm.
7. Tampa’s Urban Forestry Team is responsible for the care and maintenance of the city’s 178 parks and 1,441 miles of street rights-of-way.
8. The six most common types of shade trees are Bald Cypress, Florida Maple, Live Oak, Loblolly Pine, Purple Tabebuia and the Yellow Tabebuia.
9. A live oak can grow up to 60 feet tall with a spread of up to 100 feet.
10. In addition to National Arbor Day, a state-wide Arbor Day is celebrated by each state. Florida’s is on the third Friday in January. (Mark your calendar for January 21, 2022).
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