The city of Murphy is giving away free trees to the first 100 residents this year. File Art

Murphy residents can pick up free native trees in 3-gallon containers as part of the city’s Arbor Day observance.

The 100 trees will be available, first-come, first-served, from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, at the Community Center, 205 N. Murphy Road. 

Supplies are limited, so the Parks and Recreation Department advises residents to come early for the best selection.

Species available include Chinese Pistache, Vitex Chaste, Crepe Myrtle, Chinkapin Oak and Red Oak.

The city of Murphy is proud to have been recognized as a Tree City USA for 15 consecutive years.

The city handed out seedlings in 2024 and last year the Parks and Recreation Department encouraged citizens to join tree-planting projects in Central Park and the Timbers Nature Preserve. 

While most of the nation marks Arbor Day in April, Texans wait until fall to celebrate the importance of trees.

Texas observes Arbor Day on the first Friday in November, when cooler temperatures and seasonal rains offer the best conditions for planting. The tradition recognizes the state’s challenging climate, where spring heat and dry soil can be tough on young trees.

Arbor Day began in Nebraska in 1872, when J. Sterling Morton, a newspaper editor and later U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, proposed a statewide day for tree planting. 

The first celebration saw Nebraskans plant an estimated one million trees. The idea spread quickly, and in 1885 Nebraska made Arbor Day a legal holiday.

President Richard Nixon proclaimed the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day in 1970, but states soon realized one size didn’t fit all. Texas formally established its November observance in 2013, though many communities had long planted trees in autumn.

Across the state, schools, civic clubs and city governments mark the day with ceremonies, community plantings and environmental programs that highlight the vital role trees play in daily life: cleaning the air, reducing heat, sheltering wildlife and beautifying communities.

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