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Fifth grade classes throughout the state are invited to grab their paint brushes, crayons or markers and participate in the Oklahoma Arbor Day Poster Contest. The theme is ???Trees are Terrific ???. In Our Cities and Towns??? and students are encouraged to get creative in showing the benefits of trees. Oklahoma Forestry Services is accepting submissions through December 12.

Teachers are provided information and lesson plans by the National Arbor Day Foundation, focused on the environmental, economic and social benefits of trees. For example, did you know that hospital patients have been shown to recover from surgery more quickly and require less pain medication when their rooms have a window that provides a view of trees? Students can use what they learn to spark their imaginations and create posters.

???We want kids to learn about the many benefits that trees provide, and the annual poster contest is a fun way to encourage that,??? said State Forester George Geissler. ???We also hope that teachers will find the excellent educational resources valuable in the classroom.???

Two finalists and the winner of the competition will receive cash prizes courtesy of the Oklahoma Urban and Community Forestry Council. In addition, they will be recognized at the Arbor Week Kickoff Luncheon at the Governor's Mansion and featured on a bookmark. Their teachers will receive gift cards. The winner will additionally have his or her poster professionally printed and sent to schools and Arbor Week Celebrations throughout the state. The winner's school will also receive a tree to plant on school grounds.

Oklahoma Forestry Services, a division of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, is partnering with the Oklahoma Urban and Community Forestry Council and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service to sponsor the contest and increase awareness about trees.

For more information about the contest and educator materials, visit www.forestry.ok.gov/arbor-week or contact Jeri Irby, Education Coordinator, Oklahoma Forestry Services at jeri.irby@ag.ok.gov or 405-522-6158.

About Oklahoma Forestry Services

Oklahoma Forestry Services, a division of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, is committed to conserving, enhancing and protecting Oklahoma's 12.5 million acres of forests and woodlands. Since 1925, Oklahoma Forestry Services has worked with individuals and communities throughout the state to create resilient landscapes, fire-adaptive communities and provide wildfire response. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the division also has regional offices in Goldsby, Broken Bow, Wilburton and Tahlequah. For more information, visit www.forestry.ok.gov