Idea for Arbor Day Could Take Root

When your city is named for a type of tree, Thousand Oaks Councilwoman Linda Parks believes you should take Arbor Day extra seriously.

Parks will ask her City Council colleagues tonight to consider creating a special Arbor Day event paying homage to--could it be any other?--the oak.

The event, to be held in April, could include information from Thousand Oaks’ tree experts, demonstrations and information regarding the city’s oak-tree protection ordinance as well as discussion of its forestry master plan.

It could also include a dedication ceremony and planting of a tree to honor Eric Huberth, a local man missing in action in Vietnam, whose “Freedom Tree” died earlier this year, Parks wrote in a memo to the council.

In addition to being a nice way to respect Thousand Oaks’ namesake, the event would meet a new requirement. Thousand Oaks was recently designated a “Tree City USA,” and, according to Parks, that requires participation in some sort of Arbor Day event.

Parks is proposing that Thousand Oaks team up with some local tree or garden organizations to sponsor the event.