The Texas Rangers’ first World Series victory may not have been the reason why volunteers gathered in Bunche Park Thursday morning, but Fort Worth parks director Richard Zavala made sure the crowd let out a “Let’s go Rangers!” cheer.
Sporting a Rangers cap, Zavala recalled seeing U.S. Rep. Kay Granger and former Arlington Mayor Tom Vandergriff speak at an Arbor Day celebration back when Granger served as Fort Worth’s mayor. Vandergriff campaigned for decades to bring major league baseball to Arlington.
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“Reflecting today on the Rangers’ win and what the mayor did, his passion to get that team here, that has really bonded this community together, just like this park,” Zavala said. “There’s a lot of history to this park. It’s appropriate that on Arbor Day 2023, when our baseball team is world champions, that we do it at Ralph E. Bunche Park.”
City officials had their own reasons to celebrate as they gathered a day ahead of Texas Arbor Day, held on the first Friday of November each year. The national holiday honoring the importance of trees takes place in April but, 10 years ago, Texas designated a different day for planting trees because the state’s fall weather conditions are more favorable than spring.
Surrounded by 30 trees planted that morning by Dunbar High School students, council members Gyna Bivens and Michael Crain joined Zavala in receiving the city’s Tree City USA designation from the Texas A&M Forest Service. Fort Worth is the deepest-rooted Tree City in Texas, with a history branching back to 1978.
City Council members are expected to get their hands on a draft of Fort Worth’s first urban forestry master plan by the end of the year. The process kicked off 1.5 years ago under the supervision of the Texas Trees Foundation, which previously completed plans in Dallas and Denton.
Foundation staff have already turned their draft over to city staff, who are expected to present findings to City Council during a work session meeting in the coming months, said Texas Trees Foundation urban forestry manager Rachel McGregor. Council members will then vote on whether to adopt the plan.
“This plan, once adopted, will mark a critical milestone in the greening of Fort Worth,” McGregor said. “It will guide the city’s efforts to proactively manage, preserve, maintain and grow the city’s tree canopy amid ongoing growth and development.”
Adopting the plan, she said, will advance Fort Worth’s leadership on tree preservation and serve as an example to other cities.
City Council members are expected to get their hands on a draft of Fort Worth’s first urban forestry master plan by the end of the year. The process kicked off 1.5 years ago under the supervision of the Texas Trees Foundation, which previously completed plans in Dallas and Denton.
Bivens pointed to a 2018 incident that galvanized community support for improved tree preservation policies.
That year, developer D.R. Horton apologized to city officials for violating the city’s tree ordinance by clearing more than 70% of existing tree canopy from an east Fort Worth site off Randol Mill Road. The company avoided a possible $1.5 million fine by agreeing to plant more replacement trees than required by Fort Worth’s ordinance.
“We had a developer who clear cut an unforgivable amount of trees,” Bivens said. “I stood with residents protesting the city and calling for stronger fine enforcement.”
Bivens has been outspoken on the objectives set forth by city staff and the Texas Trees Foundation, which include increasing Fort Worth’s tree canopy to 30% of the city by 2050.
“I support the goals, and we will see them happen,” Bivens said.
Haley Samsel is the environmental reporter for the Fort Worth Report. You can reach them at haley.samsel@fortworthreport.org.
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