BANGOR – The city will mark Arbor Day on Monday by paying tribute to a man who arguably has done more for trees than anyone else in Bangor’s history.

During a 10 a.m. ceremony at what now is known as Bangor City Forest, city officials will hold a ceremony officially renaming the more than 650-acre outdoor recreation area in honor of Rolland F. Perry, the city’s first forester. Perry retired in 2006, after a career with the city that spanned 41 years.

The city has commissioned new Rolland F. Perry City Forest signs to be placed at the forest’s main entrances. The signs recognizing Perry’s contributions will be unveiled during the ceremony, which will be held near the Tripp Drive parking lot.

As city officials see it, it is fitting that the ceremony will take place on Arbor Day, a nationally celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and care.

Perry’s 42-year career spanned, among other things, the Dutch elm disease crisis of the mid-1960s through the Ice Storm of 1998.

One of Perry’s proudest achievements was the preservation and development of the City Forest, which comprises more than 650 acres of largely forested land near the Bangor Mall and largely within the Penjajawoc Marsh watershed.

Through years of effort, he worked tirelessly to protect the publicly owned forest from encroaching development, managed it to improve its timber and habitat values, and developed a multipurpose trail system enabling residents and visitors to enjoy it.

During his tenure, he was responsible for planting more than 800,000 trees and seedlings throughout the city’s parks, rights of way and public spaces.

Besides the City Forest, Perry’s legacy includes the establishment of two tree nurseries, the city’s 28-acre Brown Woods, 35-acre Prentiss Woods and the 70-acre Essex Woods.

Perry also was responsible for some of the ornamental flower plantings at parks and other public spots around the city, including the perennials that each year grace the grounds at City Hall.

dgagnon@bangordailynews.net

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