OXFORD – The Oxford Village Tree Board met on April 14 and firmed up plans for the eighteenth annual “Tree City USA” Arbor Day Celebration. The date will be Saturday, April 30, at 9 a.m., at the LaFayette Park bandstand. Plans include an award ceremony beginning with a proclamation, prize presentations to be made to three Oxford Academy fifth grade Arbor Day poster contest winners, a poster exhibit at 6 On The Square, and a give away of 300 seedling trees. The Oxford Village Tree Board encourages families and individuals to have a planting celebration of their own on Arbor Day.

Oxford was recently named a "Tree City USA", for its eighteenth year in a row, by the National Arbor Day Foundation. One of the standards for that designation is that the community must have a tree board, which the village has. The Oxford Village Tree Board members are Roger Monaco, Gray Stevens, Dale Johnson, John Godfrey and Jeanie Petersen. Accepting the Tree City USA flag and award from the DEC Senior Forester from Sherburne, Greg Owens, will be the honorable Village of Oxford Mayor Terry M. Stark.

Having an Arbor Day observance is another standard, and the Tree Board enjoys coordinating this ceremony with a tree give away. The seedlings that were chosen are the White Spruce and Frasier Fir. Both are hardy evergreen “Christmas” trees which have been ordered from the Meadowview Tree Farm LLC, a small nursery in Western NY. Both conifers have great features making the planting decision a difficult one.

The Spruce White (zone 2), Picea gleuca, is a medium-sized tree, native to northwestern North America. It prefers full sun, does best in well-drained, sandy, acidic soils. It has stiff, 1/3 to 3/4 inch long needles which are green to blue-green, and square in cross section. When crushed a pungent “skunky” odor is apparent. Needle tips are pointed, but not sharp. It has a narrow conical form, will grow to a height of 40' to 60' tall and 10' to 20' wide.