SPECIAL CARY FAMILY DONATES TREE TOMORROW

Donation Corresponds with Cary’s 23^rd Designation as a Tree City

CARY , NC – A special family with deep Cary roots is helping the Town celebrate its 23rd designation as a Tree City USA community by donating a 30-year-old Saucer Magnolia tree to the Town on Thursday, April 13, 2006 during a ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Wake County Public Library, 310 South Academy St. in downtown Cary . 

Once the owners of a beloved landmark farm at Davis Drive and High House Road , the William “Bill” Sears family decided to relocate the tree to the downtown location before construction begins on SearStone – the future, New Urbanist community for people 62 and better.  The donation was contributed through the Town’s Trees for Cary initiative – a program in which volunteer donations to the Town are used for tree planting on public land in Cary . The Sears family chose the library site because William Sears designed the library.

“We look forward to accepting this generous donation,” said Town Assistant Manager Ben Shivar.  “It’s no coincidence that this family chose to give one of nature’s most precious resources back to our community – a Tree City USA community.  By working with our citizens to preserve even one tree, we are helping ensure a healthier future and improved quality of life for a large number of citizens.”

The Town began the Trees for Cary program in 1991 to involve citizens in the Town’s aesthetic and ecological improvements.  Plantings through the program enhance property values and provide environmental benefits.  In addition to cooling the summertime air and filtering dust and pollution, trees absorb carbon dioxide while giving off oxygen, reduce harsh traffic noise, provide food and cover for wildlife, and beautify our surroundings.  

To earn the National Arbor Day’s Tree City USA recognition, the Town had to meet four standards: establish a tree board to manage trees on public property; commit at least $2 per capita to the community forestry program; hold an Arbor Day celebration; and adopt a community tree ordinance with policies for planting, caring for and removing public trees.

Tree City USA is sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. Tree City USA provides direction, technical assistance, public attention and national recognition for urban and community forestry programs in thousands of towns and cities across the country.

For more, see Trees for Cary or Arbor Day at www.townofcary.org or call (919) 469-4362.

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