City Trees

November/December 2016

City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!

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36 City Trees Chile's First Arbor Day The municipality for which I work, I. Municipalidad de Calera de Tango (population about 18,250) is located in the metropolitan Santiago region. Calera de Tango's Department of Environment offered me the opportunity to host an event to commemorate and celebrate trees. Having read the Arbor Day Foundation's publications, I knew about the North American experience of celebrating Arbor Day. I proposed the idea of establishing a permanent celebration based on the North American model, one that would raise the awareness of its participants about the importance of trees in our lives and their proper care. The idea was well received, and the last Saturday of June was decreed, and so we held an Arbor Day celebration on June 27, 2015—the first of its kind in Chile—with the participation of 30 people. In 2016, 15 people attended the celebration. The activity was advertised through the installation of two banners and an e-mail invitation to residents who are involved with environmental activities. We hope to gradually increase the number of partici- pants in future years, improving our advertising campaign. This year the program included an Arbor Day proclamation by our Mayor, a discussion about nuisance caused by trees due to lack of proper management, a brief presentation that incorpo- rated some interesting figures associated with trees, a time for sharing coffee and biscuits, delivery of seedlings of 30 cm (12 inches) height as a gift for participants, and planting a taller Celebrating the second-ever Arbor Day in Chile; story author and organizer Felipe Fuentes R. is seen second from left. I. Municipalidad de Calera de Tango residents take in the Arbor Day presentations in June, 2016. Cause for Celebration: Chile's First Arbor Day & Founding of the Chilean Society of Arboriculture by Felipe Fuentes R., Municipal Arborist, I. Municipalidad de Calera de Tango and Founding Member of the Chilean Society of Arboriculture • Photos Courtesy of I. Municipalidad de Calera de Tango tree of the same species in the municipal parking lot. As we planted the trees, we provided information about proper plant- ing techniques as per the ISA—information that was revelatory to some of the participants. Regardless of the level of citizen participation in the event, the fact that we have now held two annual Arbor Day celebrations in Calera de Tango highlights the importance it has begun to

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