PRESS RELEASE: JANUARY 24, 2025
SJR State observes Arbor Day
In keeping with its Tree Campus Higher Education status, St. Johns River State College expanded its Arbor Day Celebration this year to include planting trees at all three campus locations.
The Palatka Campus hosted the 2025 Palatka Arbor Day Celebration in conjunction with the City of Palatka on Friday, January 17. The College was presented with a Live Oak tree.
The celebration included an introduction and welcome from Susan Sutliff, SJR State executive assistant to the president. The proclamation was given by UF/IFAS horticulture agent Julio Perez. Perez and Palmer Kinser of the Garden Club of Palatka, each provided comments regarding the importance of Arbor Day. Blake Josephson, a forester with the Florida Forest Service, provided an inspirational reading, as well as free saplings.
Perez delivered a message of the hidden superpowers of trees - powers beyond the basics of beautician, providing shade and clean air - where they are problem-solvers above and below the ground. “A tree’s roots anchor the soil, preventing erosion and protecting water supplies,” Perez said. “In urban areas, they act as air conditioners, reducing heat and making cities more livable. Trees also filter rainwater, capturing pollutants before they enter our waterways.”
The Orange Park and St. Augustine campuses planted their Live Oak trees during the College’s Vikings Spring into Service day held January 24.
Since 2013, SJR State has received certification as a Tree Campus USA college. To obtain this distinction, SJR State met the five core standards for sustainable campus forestry required by Tree Campus USA, including establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects.
The College first obtained its Tree Campus USA status, granted by the Arbor Day Foundation, by following more than a year of strategically planned efforts by faculty, staff and students. The College’s projects included preserving healthy, attractive and sustainable wooded vegetation on each campus, as well as conducting educational outreach efforts and service projects. For additional information and resources the college provides, visit SJRstate.edu/tree-campus.
According to the Florida Wildlife Federation, Arbor Day was established to celebrate the beauty of trees and their importance to our environment. In Florida, Arbor Day began in 1886, making it one of the first Arbor Day holidays in the nation. Officially, Florida Arbor Day is the third Friday in January, as our cooler months are the best times to plant trees.
Pictures from the event are available at SJR State's flickr page.
Palatka Campus employees along with City of Palatka officials and tree committee members gather to celebrate this year’s Live Oak tree.
Orange Park Campus - Arbor Day Celebration