WACO, Texas – The Texas A&M Forest Service and the International Society of Trees (ISAT) Texas Chapter today recognized Texas Tree Award winners at the 44th Annual Texas Tree Conference in Waco, Texas.
The Texas Tree Awards Program recognizes those who have dedicated their talents to protecting, planning and propagating the forest canopy of Texas communities. This program is open to anyone who plays a role in building stronger Texas communities by planting, maintaining, and protecting trees.
Michael Nentwich has been named the 2024 Texas Arborist of the Year.
Each year, the Texas Arborist of the Year Award is presented to an outstanding individual for their contributions to arboriculture and community forestry. Candidates will be evaluated on their leadership, commitment, innovation, impact, and sustainability in their field.
Nentwich has long been a leader in Texas arboriculture, demonstrating unwavering dedication and significant contributions to preserving and expanding the urban tree canopy throughout the San Antonio region. His efforts extend beyond planting trees, as he actively educates the public and industry professionals alike. As founder and president of the Bexar Branches Alliance, he has had a significant impact on programs such as Tree Buds Citizen Forester, Project CANOPY, and the Rooted Resilience Program. This last program provides essential tree care services to low-income homeowners in high-risk areas with low tree canopies. His extensive experience in both the public and private sectors was critical in creating this comprehensive program.
Mr. Nentwich’s expertise has been instrumental in the San Antonio Arboretum’s efforts, including tree identification, the master planning process, planting 140 trees in temporary nurseries, and contributing to the Arboretum’s mission and efforts. did. Additionally, his involvement in Padre Park’s Tamox Tarom Food Forest expands this four-acre indigenous food forest, making it an important source of fresh, local food, environmental sustainability, and It is a hub of wellness and community connection.
The 2024 Outstanding Landscape Improvement Award was presented to the City of Fort Worth Forestry Department for the Como Neighborhood Improvement Program.
This award recognizes individuals, organizations and municipalities who have made significant contributions over the years through tree planting, care and landscaping that have made a significant impact and strengthened environmental protection, conservation, energy conservation and wildlife protection.
In 2021, Como was selected for the City of Fort Worth’s Neighborhood Improvement Program. The program utilizes an objective scoring process to identify and analyze areas of greatest need to provide the greatest benefit. The targeted Como area has an area of 0.8 square miles and is home to more than 1,900 residents. A public meeting of stakeholders in neighborhood and city departments was held to determine several programs believed to bring positive improvements to the community. These programs included harmful tree removal, pruning, and afforestation efforts.
The Forest Hazard Mitigation Program inspected 0.8 square miles in the spring of 2022 to determine if there are trees on City property that are considered hazardous or require pruning. Completed in 2023, the project removed 43 dead, dangerous and nuisance trees and pruned 18.4 straight miles of right-of-way. After pruning and removal, residents will be able to fill out a survey requesting that the trees be professionally planted, maintained and watered over the next two years. The service was intended to accommodate an initial 200 requests, but demand increased and 266 trees were planted.
The Como Neighborhood Project shows how much communities value reinvesting in their neighborhoods. This investment in tree removal, pruning, and planting shows that communities can make a difference when they work together to improve their neighborhoods and homes.
The winner of the 2024 Outstanding Community Forestry Program Award is the City of San Marcos’ Friends of Trees program.
This award recognizes individuals, organizations, and municipalities that advance community forestry through programs that significantly engage, educate, and strengthen their communities.
The Friends of Trees program was launched in 2018 as part of a citywide initiative focused on volunteer-led tree care efforts around playgrounds in neighborhood parks. Each project varies by location and includes activities that include comprehensive forest management best practices such as pruning, planting, spreading compost and mulch, digging root collars and root pruning. Volunteers gain hands-on experience in proper tree care and can replicate and share these practices in their own homes and communities.
Impressively, the program operated without a budget for the first five years. Through the grant, we were able to secure the tools and wood needed for the prizes during this period. For the past two years, Friends of Trees and its volunteers have cared for more than 400 trees each year. They host six to eight public tree care events each year, including eight tree giveaways where they distribute 1,800 native trees and 600 fruit trees. Signs have also been installed to explain the construction work in the park.
These events not only cover tree initiatives citywide, but also target disadvantaged communities, areas with low canopy cover, and specific areas for capital improvement projects. Together, the programs have provided assistance to approximately 30 neighborhood parks, regional parks, public facilities, and natural areas throughout the city.
The winner of the 2024 Arboriculture Project of the Year award is Bexar Branches Alliance, which is planting trees at Rita Kay Driggers Elementary School in Leon Valley.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers sought to unite students in more interactive ways by getting them outdoors, but one of the challenges they faced was , finding a place with enough shade where students could participate safely. Bexar Branches Alliance, Northside Independent School District, and the City of Leon Valley partnered to plant 500 trees on school campuses for participating fourth- and fifth-grade classes.
On November 3, 2023, Bexar Branches Alliance, Driggers students, and volunteers planted 120 trees at Rita K. Driggers Elementary School in Leon Valley. These trees will be incorporated into the fifth grade curriculum. Bexar Branches Alliance will pay for the watering and upkeep of these trees for the next two years. This tree planting helped Leon Valley reach its 2023 planting goal of 10,000 trees.
In recognition of their outstanding accomplishments, the winners received a limited edition framed version of the famous Texas tree by artist Lonnie Wells of Salado, Texas.