Photo By Bruce Cummins | PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola Commanding Officer Capt. Chandra...... read more read more
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Story by Warrant Officer Christopher Paredes
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Service members and civilian employees at the ‘Cradle of Naval Aviation’ participated in a tree-planting ceremony Dec. 4 designed to celebrate the organization’s Tree City USA recertification.
Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola Commanding Officer Capt. Chandra Newman – along with NAS Pensacola Public Works Officer (PWO) Brianna Jackson; Escambia County Forester Cathy Hardin; and Navy Facilities Command (NAVFAC) Southeast Pensacola Area Forester Shawn Woodard – planted a Live Oak tree near the installation's Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) administrative offices.
The tree planting ceremony, a mainstay of NAS Pensacola’s now 30-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.
“We’re proud of the work that goes on to keep our base beautiful and surrounded by healthy trees,” Jackson said. “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. It takes cooperation from everyone to have a successful forestry program as we do today.”
NAS Pensacola has more than 2,400 acres of commercial forest managed for a variety of purposes including wildlife habitat, timber, aesthetic value and recreational potential. Additionally, the NAS Pensacola PWD manages forested areas to reduce the risk of wildfires that could damage facilities, endanger lives and threaten missions.
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. Newman said NAS Pensacola employs rigorous standards to maintain certification in the Tree City USA program, and cited the base’s Natural resources team as instrumental in the program’s ongoing success.
“This is a moment to celebrate for the base – 30 years of being good stewards of this organization and our resources is huge,” Newman said. “Pensacola is a special place and I’m truly happy to be here, and thank you for being part of this. Things such as this 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 three decades.
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: | 12.04.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.04.2024 12:48 |
| Story ID: | 486609 |
| Location: | PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 225 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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