[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 1383-1384]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    ARBOR DAY 2013--CITY OF HOUSTON

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 13, 2013

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I regret not being able to be here in 
Memorial Park with all of you this morning, but I am joining you in 
celebration today from Washington, DC. Memorial Park is my favorite 
place to run. The three-mile, crushed granite trail was once shaded and 
surrounded by the most beautiful trees. As you all know, the 2011 Texas 
drought took its toll and because of it, there's one thing that is 
becoming more and more noticeably absent: our Texas trees.
  In 2006, I obtained $28.5 million in funding for beautification, 
erosion prevention and flood-control programs in the Houston area. One 
year later, over 20,000 trees were planted along Will Clayton and 
Highway 59. Thousands more trees have been planted along Houston 
Freeway, which I call Treeways. Many of the trees were planted by civic 
groups and non-profits. Apache Corporation was one of the groups that 
donated thousands of trees. I want to thank the thousands of volunteers 
who showed up that rainy, muddy morning during a Texas Gully Washer to 
help plant trees. Today, the trees are maturing and thriving--I smile 
every time I see them. I now refer to our highways as treeways.
  I support the goals and ideals of National Arbor Day, and I 
wholeheartedly support the planting as well as the management of 
healthy trees in our community. I would like to recognize the City of 
Houston, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, Memorial Park 
Conservancy, Apache Corporation and the citizens of Houston as they 
celebrate the value and beauty of trees in our community. By planting 
trees today, we are taking the necessary steps to ensure the quality of 
life for those who come after us.
  In 2009, Mayor Bill White started the Million Trees + Houston 
program. The goal was to plant more than a million new trees in the 
City of Houston, and today, Houston Parks and Recreation along with 
Apache Corporation will plant its 3 millionth tree.
  And that's just the way it is.

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