Fort Monroe earns 24th consecutive ‘Tree City USA’ award

Tree City

Algernourne Oak

Posted: Friday, May 6, 2011 9:46 am

It’s been almost a quarter of a century since Fort Monroe first earned the national designation of Tree City USA, an esteemed title awarded to communities that know the importance of trees in our daily lives. The Arbor Day foundation again for the 24th consecutive year has named Fort Monroe as Tree City USA. The Arbor Day Foundation, in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service, designates the annual award to communities meeting certain standards.

In a recent letter to Post Commander, Col. Anthony D. Reyes, the foundation’s CEO, John Rosenow, said residents of Fort Monroe should take pride in the fact that they live in a community where planting and nurturing trees is a priority.

“We celebrate your diligence in improving the quality of life for citizens of Fort Monroe and thank you for creating a healthier, more sustainable world for us all,” he said.

The four standards that must be met to earn the title include: a community must have a tree board or department, a tree-care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. The post’s environmental office within the Directorate of Public Works is responsible for meeting the foundation’s standards and for providing quality care for our trees that not only beautify the installation, but also promote a healthier community.

Fort Monroe’s trees, called the crowning glories of the parade ground in the old fort are beautiful live oak trees, as reported in “Casemate Paper” No. 5, from the Casemate Museum’s history brochure. Surgeon George E. Cooper, in a report of 1870, said of these trees, “The live oak is found within the enclosure of the work, having been undisturbed when the clearing was made to build the fort.”

Some tree experts have asserted that these trees were probably present when the first colonists arrived. If so, they were at Old Point Comfort in the early 1600s when Captain John Smith explored the area.

A well-known tree at Monroe is the centuries-old Algernourne Oak that may be one of the earliest trees on post. According to a February article by David Macaulay at the Daily Press, the tree was recently included in the book, “Remarkable Trees of Virginia” by Nancy Ross Hugo, Virginia Tech Department of Forestry extension specialist; Professor Jeff Kirwan; and photographer Robert Llewellyn.

Many varieties of trees have made Monroe home for decades, even centuries, and they receive continuous, quality care from DPW’s grounds crew.

The Tree City USA sign at the post’s entrance tells visitors that our community cares about its environment and the stewardship it provides at one of the oldest U.S. forts.