Austin’s 2009 Tree of the Year Awarded to Bald Cypress on Red Bud Island and Texas Persimmon in Mayfield Preserve

For Immediate Release
Friday, October 23, 2009

Two Austin trees garnered top honors with the City of Austin’s 2009 Tree of the Year Award at an event hosted Friday, October 23, 2009 at Mayfield Park and Preserve. The trees include a majestic Bald Cypress located on Red Bud Isle and a Texas Persimmon tree in the picturesque Mayfield Park and Preserve.

The Tree of the Year event served as a kick off for the City-wide Arbor Day celebrations Saturday, October 24, that includes the "Tree-Wheeling Bicycle Tour" of more than 50 of Austin's oldest, largest and most revered trees in the City of Austin Bicentennial Tree Registry, as well as a planting of more than 100 trees at Civitan Park.

In the spring, citizens nominate their favorite trees for Tree of the Year, with two trees honored annually: a small native tree and a large native tree. Nadene Morning, a member of both the Friends of Red Bud Isle and the Friends of Mayfield Preserve, nominated both winning trees.

In her nomination for the Texas Persimmon for Small Tree of the Year, Morning said, "It is not all that tall, but what captures the eye is the overall shape and its many visible trunks that branch out and form a compact beautiful canopy. It is quite lovely."

Created to inspire proper tree care, the Austin Tree of the Year awards program promotes the outstanding results of nurtured and healthy trees and is presented thorough a City-wide partnership between Austin Energy, the Parks and Recreation Department and the Planning and Development Review Department. For more information go to: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/treeoftheyear/.

Information about the winning trees:

• The Texas Persimmon has beautiful peeling bark that distinguishes this resilient, native species, commonly grown in the thin limestone soil of the Hill Country. After becoming established, its hardiness allows it to grow with little rainfall, either in full sun or partial shade. The white flowers produce a small edible persimmon that is high in Vitamin A.

• The Bald Cypress grows up to 100 feet tall and may live for hundreds of years. The tree is unique, thriving in areas partially covered with water. The roots reveal cone-shaped "knees," which provide structural support. The dense, deciduous canopy appears to be evergreen but drops its leaves in winter, giving the tree a "bald" appearance.

Contact:
Wendy Morgan, 974-2090 (Office), 802-7487 (Pager)
Lynne Lightsey, 974-3538 (Office), 802-7423 (Pager)