by James Coulter
To honor its legacy as a “City in a Garden”, the City of Lake Wales released a proclamation observing a national holiday in honor of trees and other natural flora.
At their meeting on Wed. Apr. 2, 2025, Lake Wales Mayor Jack Hilligoss offered an official proclamation recognizing Apr. 2 as Arbor Day, in which he encouraged residents “to celebrate Arbor Day and to support efforts to protect our trees and woodlands.”
Founded on April 10, 1872, Arbor Day is a national holiday established by J. Sterling Morton, a Nebraska state legislator and newspaper publisher who, according to the Arbor Day Foundation, “had an enthusiasm for trees and advocated strongly for individuals and civic groups to plant them.”
The first official holiday in 1872, as the official proclamation explained, “was first observed with the planting of more than a million trees in Nebraska.” In 2023, the Arbor Day Foundation reportedly planted and distributed more than 1.7 million trees.
The city’s proclamation recognized the benefits that treesprovide to the environment and communities such as Lake Wales:
“Trees can be a solution to combating climate change by reducing the erosion of our precious topsoil by wind and water, cutting heating and cooling costs, and…trees in our city increase property values, enhance the economic vitality of business areas, and beautify our community.”
“Trees — wherever they are planted — are a source of joy and spiritual renewal,” Mayor Hilligoss wrote. “I urge all citizens to plant trees to gladden the heart and promote the well-being of this and future generations.”
By officially recognizing Arbor Day, Lake Wales shows its commitment to the local environment as envisioned by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., who helped design the city and the adjoining Bok Tower Gardens as a “City in a Garden.”
