Oklahoma City celebrates Arbor Week; new features at Will Rogers Gardens arboretum almost complete

Arbor Week, promoted by the Arbor Day Foundation, is a celebration of trees around the country. Oklahoma City is a Tree City USA community, a designation by the foundation that helps members get guidance and funding on the use of trees around the area.

The designation and connections it forges helped secure money to the city to recover from the punishing ice storm several years ago, city parks spokeswoman Jennifer McClintock said.

The city also is close to finishing an improvements project to the Margaret Annis Boys Arboretum at the Will Rogers Gardens.

The half-million dollar project, funded by general obligation bonds and a donation from the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, features improved access to the once-undeveloped arboretum.

“It gives you a sense of the diverse beauty that we have in Oklahoma,” McClintock said. “Trees are an important part of our park lands.”