October is here, and Arbor Month is officially underway on Guam. The island is celebrating with a month full of tree planting events and important fire prevention outreach activities. Here's more on how the community is coming together to protect both our green spaces and our homes in preparation for fire season.

As October rolls in, Arbor Month celebrations are in full swing, from planting trees to planting seeds of fire safety. Guam Department of Agriculture’s Forestry and Soil Resources Division chief Christine Fejeran shares what’s in store this month.

"We’re excited," she said. "We have a beautiful theme this year, and it’s ‘Green Spaces, Shared Places: Enhancing our Forest Together.’ What makes it so beautiful as a theme for the island is we’re embracing partnerships. We’re embracing these green spaces we have across the island, that we’re not alone in the efforts to protect Guam, our soil resources and our community."

This year, Arbor Month is also about raising awareness for fire prevention, a critical issue as fire season approaches. Fejeran added, "This week is Fire Prevention Week. So your fire partners on island are meeting today at 1;30pm at Adelup for a proclamation signing of fire prevention week. Then this Sunday, we will have all of our fire partners at the Micronesia Mall for a full outreach event. It will be fun and engaging. Smokey Bear and Sparky will be there. That’s the kick off."

DOAG program coordinator Shaylin Salas has been instrumental in building the arbor month calendar, which is packed with tree planting events, outreaches, a parade and much more. She said, "It’s important for us to gather and plant trees across the island to protect our soil, our water, and to provide shade in our public spaces. There’s just so many benefits to trees. They provide fruits and medicine, and all that good stuff."

Trees also play a crucial role as natural barriers, whether from the sun, the winds or even the spread of fire. With dry season coming up, the island is especially vulnerable to wild fires. "And the link is that fires on Guam– human caused ignitions– can be preventable. We encourage people to come and join in the conversation. But also know that what burns today, erodes away upon rain. Then we move into the dry season, we will then have a major fire issue," she said.

Fejeran says through arbor month, planting trees and protecting green spaces helps to prevent the progression of fires. It’s all the more important as Guam’s landscape continues to recover from Typhoon Mawar– when many trees across the island were toppled and uprooted from devastating Category 4 force winds.

She explained, "We saw that a strong healthy tree in your community provided wind break and provided protection against those winds. In some sites, we had to lose those trees unfortunately. But some trees were resilient and strong. They withstood the typhoon and your homes, your businesses, and your structures were more protected for it. So this is a reminder: plant the tree, protect the tree and let’s do more."

So if there’s one thing the community should take away this Arbor Month, she said, "Remember Guam, ‘munga masongge Guahan.’ Don’t burn Guam. And we will get there together by protecting our green spaces, shared places, and enhancing our forest together."