DAPHNE, Ala. — About 4,900 trees — representing 27 species — will be given away amid other historical and environmental activities when Daphne celebrates Arbor Day on Feb. 23. Festivities will be held from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Village Point Park Preserve on 27717 Main St, instead of the Daphne Recreation Center, the past location, according to organizers.

Arbor Day is a nationally-celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and care, according to arborday.org, a Web site with extensive information about the holiday and flora.

National Arbor Day will be April 25; the national observance is always the last Friday in April. States, however, may set their own Arbor Day; Alabama observes the occasion during the last full week in February. The holiday was founded by Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872, according to the site.

Daphne’s 20th Annual Arbor Day Celebration will give away a variety of trees including crepe myrtles, dogwoods, red buds and cherry trees in the small flowering category.

Under 30-foot varieties are american holly, hophornbeam and ironwood; over 30-foot trees include river birch, red maple and sweet bay magnolia.

Tree winners needn’t be Daphne residents, and there’s no limit to the number of trees anyone receives, Tomasina Werner, of the Daphne Beautification Committee, said.

Next Saturday’s festivities will include a free tour of Jackson’s Oak, the site where Gen. Andrew Jackson allegedly addressed his soldiers during the War of 1812. He spoke, perched on a large branch, after traveling from Pensacola, Fla., according to legend.

Daphne’s Arbor Day celebration aims to raise awareness on the environmental benefits of sowing saplings, Werner said.

“It is important to plant trees because it makes our air better and it helps the environment,” she said.

A complete listing of tree species to be given away on Arbor Day is as follows: