Helping to create livable communities, Apache donates its millionth tree
Mikaila Adams
Associate Editor – OGFJ
On April 27, independent oil and gas exploration and production company Apache Corp. celebrated planting 1 million trees that have improved wildlife habitats, restored storm damage, and enhanced cities and neighborhoods in 14 states.
Houston Mayor Bill White joined Apache employees as the ceremonial millionth tree was planted at company’s Houston headquarters. The tree replaced a 30-year-old oak tree that was toppled when Hurricane Ike swept through the city in September 2008.
Part of the company’s mission is to provide shareholders with meaningful economic returns by finding and producing energy essential to fuel economic growth and improve the standard of living across the globe. Essential to that goal is being good stewards of the environment and advancing human potential.
“Apache is an oil and gas producer. We make our living by producing the planet’s natural resources, and that means we have a responsibility to be good stewards of the environment,” noted G. Steven Farris, Apache’s chairman and CEO. “While planting 1 million trees is a great accomplishment, it is just one example of what Apache employees are doing every day to leave the world a little better than we found it.”
The tree planting program is just one part of The Apache Foundation, the philanthropic unit of the company. Since 2006, foundation has funded the planting of 1 million trees that have improved wildlife habitats, replaced trees destroyed by natural disasters, and enhanced neighborhoods across 14 states.
Grant recipients include schools, cities, counties, parks, universities, cemeteries, baseball associations, soccer associations, youth associations, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, medical centers, wildlife refuges, and community non-profits.
“These trees have helped Galveston recover from the devastation of Hurricane Ike and replaced others lost in floods, wind and ice storms in Oklahoma,” said Farris.
As Farris mentioned, one of those places was Oklahoma. “In 2007, the federal government declared eight disasters because of bad weather in Oklahoma,” said Mary Gilmore Caffrey, executive director of Oklahoma City’s Tree Bank Foundation. “Oklahomans are still struggling to repair the damage, often postponing replanting due to a lack of resources. Our partnership with Apache Foundation almost seems providential, considering the extent of the damage to our state.”
“Thanks to Apache, and some local volunteers, we now have one of the best-looking police departments in the state of Oklahoma,” said Norma Crane, chairman of the Hobart, Okla., Beautification Commission.
Apache Foundation’s Tree Grant Program has helped create livable communities by donating trees that provide shade, harbor birds and other wildlife, reduce noise, store carbon, reduce erosion and produce oxygen.
The philosophy, according to Farris, is simple. “We planted a lot of trees in the places we do business, but we also planted plenty of them in other places where they were needed.”
About the Author
Mikaila Adams
Managing Editor, Content Strategist
Mikaila Adams has 20 years of experience as an editor, most of which has been centered on the oil and gas industry. She enjoyed 12 years focused on the business/finance side of the industry as an editor for Oil & Gas Journal's sister publication, Oil & Gas Financial Journal (OGFJ). After OGFJ ceased publication in 2017, she joined Oil & Gas Journal and was later named Managing Editor - News. Her role has expanded into content strategy. She holds a degree from Texas Tech University.