Arbor Day Poster Contest Targets State Fifth-graders

“Trees are Terrific…and forests are too!” is the theme for the 2007 Arbor Day poster contest announced the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) Division of Forestry and the National Arbor Day Foundation. Co-sponsored by Toyota Motor Corporation, the annual contest is open to all Tennessee fifth-graders.

To enter the state contest, posters must be first judged at the local level by either the local school or by local contest sponsors such as city tree advisory boards. Local winning posters must be received in the state Forestry Division office located at Ellington Agricultural Center, 440 Hogan Road, in Nashville by 4:30 p.m. on March 9, regardless of postmark.

Only posters that meet contest guidelines will be eligible for the state competition. Posters must clearly state and follow the theme, and must be a minimum of 8 1/2 by 11 inches and a maximum of 14 by 18 inches in size. The student’s name should appear in the lower right hand corner on the front of the poster.

Teachers in public, private and home schools may request a packet of information and complete set of rules by calling program coordinator Bruce Webster at (615) 837-5436, or by emailing bruce.webster@state.tn.us.

Tennessee’s first place poster will be entered in the national contest, which awards a $1,000 savings bond, a lifetime membership in The National Arbor Day Foundation, an expense-paid trip to the home of National Arbor Day in Nebraska City for the National Awards Weekend, and teacher classroom materials. The national second and third place winners also receive a savings bond and teachers receive cash prizes.

In Tennessee, Arbor Day is always recognized on the first Friday in March, which falls this year on the 2nd. Nationally, Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April. Each state sets its own Arbor Day date based on the optimum tree planting conditions for that region.

For more information about the poster contest visit the Arbor Day Foundation’s Web site at www.arborday.org or visit the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry Web site at www.tennessee.gov/agriculture/forestry, then click on “Arbor Day”.