Traditionally, the City of Brentwood hosts its Arbor Day Celebration at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library on a sunny Saturday in late March when hundreds would be present to enjoy the day focused on tree education. However, this year due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, the Brentwood Tree Board is turning its one-day event into a weeklong Arbor Day Celebration.
The week will kick off Sunday, March 21 at 1 p.m. with a free tree seedling giveaway at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library. Bur Oak, Sweet Gum, and Bitter Pecan tree seedlings will be given away to residents on a first-come, first-serve basis until the 300 seedlings are all given away.
Brentwood Tree Board Chairperson, Lynn Tucker said, “members of the Brentwood Tree Board will be standing outside the library for anyone to pull up in their vehicle, pick up a seedling, and drive away. We are happy that we can alter our plans this year, but still achieve the goal of educating the community about trees during this unprecedented time.”
Tucker and others will appear LIVE on Facebook at 1 p.m. March 21 with information about the week and a trivia question for a chance to win a $50 gift card. There will also be free scoops of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream given away compliments of Bradley’s Curbside Creamery Food Truck. Other flavors will be available for purchase.
The week of March 21-27, 2021 will feature daily informational sessions on the City of Brentwood Facebook page, trivia to win $50 restaurant gift cards, an acorn guessing contest, and a grand event to launch Brentwood’s Best Ash contest and award Arbor Day contest winners on Saturday, March 27 at 11am on Facebook! We invite you and your family to participate in the weeklong fun by posting, commenting, and interacting with us on our social pages! Please use #ArborDay #ArborDayAtHome when participating!
The weeklong schedule of events includes:
Arbor Day 2021 Events
March 21, 1 – 4 p.m. – Arbor Day Week Kickoff at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library, Tree Board members will give away free tree seedlings and be LIVE on Facebook at 1pm. In 2017, the Tree Board produced a video with a Brentwood Cub Scout group about the proper way to plant a tree.
March 22 – Kids Day
March 23 – Science/STEM Education Day
March 23 – Library Tutorial Tuesday about Trees – Cut out Leaf Art with Paige – watch now on YouTube!
March 24 – Creative Arts Day – featuring a Story Time with Ms. Pat – watch now on YouTube!
March 25 – Ask an Arborist Day
March 26 – Friday Forestry Fun Day
March 26, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Plant and Seed Swap at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library
March 27, 11 a.m. – Arbor Day Presentation LIVE on Facebook at 11am
For livestreams and more information on the events, visit the City of Brentwood’s social media channels.
- City of Brentwood Facebook Page
- City of Brentwood Twitter Page
- City of Brentwood Instagram
- City of Brentwood YouTube
On Saturday, March 27 at 11am, we invite the community to watch our virtual Arbor Day presentation on Facebook. The video will feature Mayor Rhea Little welcoming everyone and discussing the importance of trees in Brentwood. Tucker will introduce the week’s contest winners, present the 2021 essay winner, who will read their presentation, award the 2021 Community Tree Recipient, and introduce the Brentwood’s Best Ash photo contest.
Each year the Tree Board honors someone in the community who has made a significant contribution to trees. This year, retired Brentwood Police Chief Tommy Walsh will receive a tree planted outside the employee entrance of the new Brentwood Police Headquarters located on Heritage Way and set to open this spring. Walsh worked for the department for 31 years before retiring in 2020. You can watch this VIDEO produced by the City about Walsh’s career with the department.
During the Saturday Facebook LIVE event, the city will also receive the Tree City USA Award from the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. This is Brentwood’s thirty-first year to receive the prestigious, national award, which recognizes the city’s long-standing commitment to tree planting and conservation.