Fort Myers celebrates Arbor Day by planting trees

Seabreeze Palms donated four rare palm trees — Flamethrower Palm, Chambeyronia macrocarpa, a mountainous rainforest palm from New Caledonia; Footstool Palm, Livistona rotondifolia, a tropical rainforest palm from Malaysia; Maya Palm, Gaussia maya, a rainforest palm from Central America; and White Foxtail Palm, Dypsis madagascariensis, a dry forest palm from Madagascar

The Footstool, Maya and White Foxtail palms will be planted beginning Friday, April 24, at 9 a.m. at the Palm Park, 2330 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. (the corner of MLK and Central). The Flamethrower Palm, which needs more shade, will be planted in the Park of Palms (corner of Edwards Drive and Lee Street) later in the day.

At 10 a.m., the Caloosa Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution will hold a ceremony at Kiwanis Park, 2154 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. (the corner of MLK and Broadway), dedicating the Liberty Tree. The original Liberty Tree was a famous elm that stood in Boston in the days before the American Revolution. It was a rallying point for the growing resistance. A new live oak tree will be planted in Kiwanis Park, where a large live oak stands now. The Colonial Color Guard will join the Sons of the American Revolution in dedicating the tree. The public is welcome to attend the ceremony.