A Resolution By The Board Of County Commissioners Of Pasco County, Florida, Declaring January 17, 2025, As Arbor Day In Pasco County

31:44Take solace in that. Okay. Thank you. Okay, that concludes um public comment and at this time we will move to resolutions. We have RS1.

31:55If you are here for Arbor Day, please step up to the podium.

32:09I will go ahead and uh read the resolution. Resolution number twenty-five-zero nine five, a resolution by the Board of County Commissioners. of Pasco County, Florida, declaring January 17, 2025 as Arbor Day in Pasco County. Raz Arbor Day was first observed in eighteen seventy two with the planting of over one million trees in Nebraska. NRAS, Florida, has celebrated Arbor Day on the third Friday in January since eighteen eighty-six. Anras trees are important in that they remove CO two and pollutants,

32:39therefore reducing the heat island effect. Trees also preserve soil by decreasing stormwater runoff and provide shade and shelter for many animals. ANRAS trees are a renewable resource, giving us paper, wood for our homes, fuel for our fires, and beautiful and beautify our community. ANRAS trees in our county increase property values and enhance the vitality of our county's business areas. and ras the steps we take to protect our natural environment Through

33:10education, partnerships, and positive actions should be encouraged in Pasco County. NRAS, the citizens, staff, and elected officials of Pasco County are committed not only to the protection and preservation of our trees, but also planting additional ones. NRAS, in the mission of Keep Pasco beautiful, to improve Pasco County by engaging the community in sustainable efforts to reduce litter, promote waste reduction. and encourage beautification. And Ras there are there will be Tree distributions on January 17th,

33:412025, in East and West Pasco County, where citizens can receive a native tree to plant. Funding for these tree giveaways is provided by Keep Pasco Beautiful and the Florida Forest Services Urban and Community Forestry Grant to promote and enhance local participation in Arbor Day activities. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, that said board hereby declares January 17th, 2025 as Arbor Day in Pasco County and encourages all Pasco County citizens

34:11to join in efforts to plant and preserve trees in all its diversity. Done and resolved in regular session with the quorum present and voting this 14th day of January 2025. five.

34:21I'll take a motion. Move approval. Second. All in favor? Aye. This is one of my favorite things. I'm so glad we're back uh giving out more trees in this county. Um So um love to hear from you guys. And uh you know what I I would like I know some of you have been with this organization for a long time. Yeah, so I want you to say how long you've been with What what

34:46morning um Lottie Kelly with Reroed Ways 14230 Hayes Road. I've been a board member for twenty-five years. Yeah. Um either the president, vice president, or just an actual board member doing all the work of cleaning and planning. And um it's something that we really believe in at Rerolled Waste, and something I believe in personally. So we're happy to be once again giving out our trees for arbitrary. So It's a great thing to get people involved and plant native plants and educate and

35:14I

35:14love it.

35:15Yeah. And um and you anyone else? Come on up. Right.

35:19I'm Ligia, I'm the Keep Pasco Beautiful Coordinator. I started as an intern in 2021. And I would like to inform you all, as you mentioned, first of all, thank you all for your support. But also inform you all if you want more information for the I Birthday celebration, please go to keeppasco beautiful.org and you can see how you can register for a fruit tree or to participate in our two events that we have. One in partnership with the UF IFA's

35:50extension Pasco County, David. city. We will be having a 30 minutes free tree planting workshop and we will also have a celebration in partnership with the city of New Port Richey Francis Avenue Park all on January 17, Florida Arbor Day, and now officially Pasco County Arbor Day as well. Thank you very much.

36:14And um what kind of trees are we giving out this year?

36:16Uh we have two types of tree. We have our county arborists.

36:21Mike Woodard, Pasco County Arborist. We're going

36:23to

36:23be doing two species that are native. We have the fringe tree, which will bloom in springtime. It's a deciduous little tree you'll see in our forests underneath all the large trees in spring and get little white flowers on it. And then the firebush, which is usually grown as a shrub for ornamental purposes but can be a small tree with time, and they're both good pollinator plants and host plants for native species.

36:44So um last year we gave some money to increase the number of trees that we were handing out. And I'd like um for the board to consider a a motion, someone to make a motion to add was it three thousand dollars we about three thousand dollars to um add to their their number of trees that they'll be handing out on both sides of the county.

37:04So move second.

37:06All in favor? Aye. Thank you very much. So

37:09I have a quick question. When is your um tree giveaway at Francis Park?

37:14Francis Avenue Park is going to be from three to five PM. On the seventeenth? On the seventeenth, yes.

37:20But our the celebration begins at at two PM. Then there is a celebration from two to three, then our three giveaway starts at three.

37:29Okay, two to three and then three to five. the tree giveaway on one seventeenth.

37:33And three experts will be on site to answer any three questions. And

37:37and I would ask our arborist, can you quickly um Tell the uh county. Why trees are so important. Some of the benefits.

37:47Well, I think the biggest one during Hurricane Milton, my property is about one acre and it's mostly forested. And when the high winds came through they hit the trees first, all the trees in the groupings. And the top swayed, I had a few broken branches that were dead come off, and I had no tree damage. In the front where I had to clear out for my home, Uh some branches came down, some larger branches, and the gust took my well pump, shed, blew it right over and damaged my well. So if I had had full trees all around my home, it wouldn't have been able to damage my well and I would have come through unscathed.

38:18And when we have the new developments, the trees are really important, but the other thing about them is the right tree and the right place and the right care after it's planted and during planting. So one of the goals with these is to encourage people to know how to plant it right from the start. And we pick two smaller species so that homeowners can easily take care of it at home themselves and not having to call to have someone come out and pay that extra money for a large branch that gets removed. They can go out with their snippers and just take care of their little tree, they can sit out and enjoy it. And they

38:48can be underneath it still for the shade because as we know, summertime It's brutal. Those the shade is number one. I can be out in my garden in summertime because of the shade. When I lived in Penellas impossible.

39:00Whenever I go to a parking lot I always look for the the shaded spot. And I can tell you we have one shaded spot at the County Commission parking on the west side. And um there's always a car in that one. I try and get there first, but sometimes this one takes it.

39:15Okay. Um I do not have anything to give you. So it's over there? It's over here. All right, guys, do you wanna come down for a photo? Yes.

39:52Yeah,

40:01Perfect. And just look at me. Keep looking.

40:06Perfect.

40:07Thank

40:07you. Thank you so much.