Nominate your fave trees

After a hiatus of nearly 10 years, the storied Tree of the Year Awards has returned to Austin. TreeFolks, partnering with the Parks and Recreation Department and getting support from the Still Water Foundation, has revived the beloved contest that recognizes “outstanding trees within the city limits.” All community members are invited to nominate their favorite trees in five categories: big tree, small tree, story tree, school tree and unique tree. TreeFolks Executive Director Andrew Smiley said in the announcement, “We are excited to relaunch the Tree of the Year Awards after nearly a decade, with an even greater emphasis on community engagement, equity and our shared love of Austin’s trees. This program helps connect our Austin community to the outdoors and to Austin’s historical ecology, as well as to see shining examples of proper tree care and maintenance over time.” The winning trees and their nominators will be honored at an awards ceremony on Nov. 5, 2:45 p.m., at the Dottie Jordan Park Tree & Pollinator Festival Day. Find more info – and vote! – at AustinTreeoftheYearAwards.org/Vote.