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Orange County launches OC Loves Trees program, plants live oak at Great Oaks Village
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Summary
On Arbor Day, Orange County launched the "OC Loves Trees" education and planting initiative at Great Oaks Village, planting a live oak and announcing plans to plant more than 500 trees countywide; officials invited residents to volunteer via the county website.
On Arbor Day, Orange County officials launched the OC Loves Trees program at Great Oaks Village, planting a live oak and announcing a countywide effort to plant more than 500 trees this year, organizers said.
An agency official with Planning, Environmental and Development Services said the program is an educational initiative to "ignite a love affair for trees across Orange County." The official said, "We're gonna be launching our OC Love Tree Program" and that "we'll be planting our first tree, our live oak tree here at Great Oaks Village, and then we'll have a blitz around the entire county just planting over 500 trees this year." The official described trees as county infrastructure that provide shade, flood mitigation and recreation space.
A county official at the event said the tree planting was also a celebration of county employees and local support for Great Oaks Village. The official said the planted tree honored "my long tenure support for Great Oaks Village" and framed the effort as part of Orange County's commitment to preserving "God's green earth" for future generations.
A presenter from Great Oaks Village thanked local leaders for their support and said the planting also recognized the facility's history. The presenter said the facility is "the oldest foster care home in the state of Florida" and that young residents wanted to demonstrate their appreciation for Mayor Demings's support over the years.
County organizers invited residents to participate. "You can sign up for any of our volunteer types of opportunities through our website," the county official said, adding that volunteers can join planning, decision-making and policy work tied to the initiative.
Officials said the program will include educational outreach and community plantings across the county; no formal votes or actions were taken at the event. Residents seeking to volunteer or learn more were directed to the county website for sign-ups and program details.
