Arbor Week in Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City will celebrate Arbor Week during the last week of March. Check out the news video about it below. I had no idea Oklahoma City was such a tree-friendly place so I did a little checking. I learned that Oklahoma City has been designated as a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation, along with 24 other Oklahoma cities (but not Elliot's current home of Lawton). Elliot's home town of Santa Clarita is also a Tree City USA community.

I also learned that Oklahoma City is home to the Margaret Annis Boys Arboretum. Located in Will Rogers Gardens, the arboretum sits on 10 acres of pristine park land and features hundreds of varieties of trees, including Oklahoma native species as well as specimens rarely found in the state. The oldest trees in the arboretum were planted by famed horticulturalist Henry Walter in the 1930s. The arboretum was renamed after Margaret Boys during a dedication ceremony on September 24, 2009. Ms. Boys was a long-time teacher and philanthropist who donated $1.5 million on her death in 1990 to the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, with instructions that it be used to beautify lands in Oklahoma County.

Here's the news video about Arbor Week. Then, after the jump, check out a bunch of really great photos of the arboretum, and a public service announcement from the Arbor Day Foundation.