Since 1999, the Hoover Beautification Board has worked with City and School System staff, as well as an assortment of generous sponsors and volunteers to plan, organize and conduct annual Arbor Day celebrations at public schools and at Aldridge Gardens. These celebrations have helped Hoover retain its status as a 'Tree City' in the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree City USA program, and have added thousands of trees to the city’s urban forest. The school and community celebrations educate children, youth and adults about forest and urban trees, and about the incredible benefits trees provide.  The Hoover Beautification Board produces a comprehensive Arbor Day Report detailing Hoover’s annual Arbor Day activities.  To see the 2021 Hoover Arbor Day Report - CLICK HERE. 

4^th Grade Arbor Day Essay Contest
 Hoover's Arbor Day essay contest is conducted at the 4th Grade level with all elementary schools in the Hoover City School System invited to participate. School faculty along with a panel of Beautification Board members judge students’ essays to determine an overall winner of the contest, and one winner from each participating school.  Essay contest winners are honored at Hoover’s community-wide Arbor Day celebration and invited to read their essays to celebration attendees.  Contest winners receive an assortment of prizes for their work, including cash, tree ID books, a one-year Aldridge Gardens membership, trees, etc. Prizes are provided by local sponsors and the Hoover Beautification Board.  

Hoover Schools Arbor Day Celebrations
 The Hoover Beautification Board encourages each of Hoover's 17 schools to organize their own, annual Arbor Day celebration on campus.  The Board provides one, large-caliper shade tree to each participating school.  The Board assists with each celebration which always include a ceremonial tree planting led by Hoover Urban Forestry  staff.  Utilizing larger caliper trees, the school plantings have proven effective at enhancing campus landscapes and at teaching students the do(s) and don't(s) of proper tree planting and care.   

Hoover Community Arbor Day Celebration
Hosted each year at Aldridge Gardens, Hoover’s community-wide Arbor Day Celebration features a native species tree giveaway for Hoover residents, a formal ceremony honoring winners of the 4^th Grade Arbor Day Essay Contest and a ceremonial tree planting.  Hundreds of residents and business owners attend the annual celebration to tour the Aldridge Gardens grounds, consult with ISA Certified Arborists and other plant professionals, hear the reading of their 4^th Grader’s winning Arbor Day essay, and to show their appreciation for Hoover’s most valuable natural resource!  The event is open to the public and generously sponsored by community partners like Alabama Power Co, ACE Tree Service and others.       

2020 - Citywide Arbor Day Celebration 

Hundreds of Hoover residents and others attended the city's annual Arbor Day celebration on Saturday, March 7 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.  Aldridge Gardens located at 3530 Lorna Rd, hosted the celebration which featured a tree giveaway for Hoover residents, a formal ceremony honoring the winners of the 4th Grade Arbor Day Essay Contest, a ceremonial tree planting, and part of a Guinness World Record attempt!  The 2020 tree giveaway featured 250 trees, represented by 17 different species.  The trees were available to Hoover residents for planting into Hoover's community forest.  For a complete listing of tree species CLICK HERE. 

For the giant-leaf lover in you, a unique feature of the 2020 Arbor Day celebration was the official measuring of what may be a new Guinness World Record for World's Largest Oak Leaf!  This unusually large cherrybark oak leaf was found on farm property in Sumter county, by one of the property owners, Mrs. Claire Larkin.  After much research and subsequent communications with personnel at Guinness, Mrs. Larkin along with local dignitaries and professionals, measured the leaf per the Guinness guidelines immediately following the Arbor Day Essay Contest awards ceremony.  An announcement about the world record is expected in the coming weeks.