Arbor Day is on April 26 and the city of Chula Vista will celebrate the day with a ceremony and the planting of trees, from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at Greg Rogers Park, Orange Avenue median area and Connoley Park. Volunteer planters are needed.
The man leading the ceremony, city forester Sam Oludunfe, is a self-described lover of trees. His favorite tree is the Norfolk Island pine and his opinions about Christmas trees extend to a stamp of approval if Christmas tree farms are utilized.
“I’m crazy about trees,” said Oludunfe. His love of trees goes back to his native Nigeria where he received his bachelor of science degree in forestry.
Oludunfe’s tips to Chula Vista residents on watering trees is to water every two weeks.
He can even cite where Chula Vista’s landmark trees are — Hilltop Drive.
His love of arbors can also be witnessed with his botanical work done on the campus of UC-San Diego where he was the campus urban forester before coming to Chula Vista. He came to America and lived and worked in Connecticut and Los Angeles before relocating to San Diego.
Among his other professional titles and certifications are international society of arboriculture (ISA), certified arborist/utility/municipal specialist, an ISA tree risk assessment qualified (TRAQ), and national recreation & park association (NRPA) and certified park & recreation professional (CPRP).
Those qualifications will assist in managing the 83,000 inventoried trees.
Tracking which trees are vulnerable to fall during rain storms is a part of the city’s tree maintenance program. Part of that preventive measure is knowing the condition of a vulnerable tree before a storm.
For those attending the city’s Arbor Day event – Oludunfe had some tips.
Oludunfe suggests volunteers wear closed-toe shoes, wear sunscreen, bring work gloves, and work gloves. Children five and up are welcome.
“We will welcome selfies with the trees,” said city forester Sam Oludunfe, “So that they can say ‘I planted that’ in five, ten, or 20 years.”
