HOUSTON, Oct. 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apache Corporation, a subsidiary of APA Corporation (Nasdaq: APA), today announced the donation of more than 55,000 trees to 66 nonprofit partner organizations through the annual Apache Corporation Tree Grant Program. Since 2005, approximately 4.8 million trees have been granted to over 900 non-profit charitable partners and government agencies in the U.S. Plantings from this year’s grants will begin this month and will continue through May 2022.

"This year, we have identified incredible organizations to partner with for our annual Tree Grant Program. We are excited for the planting season to begin and look forward to working with our grant recipients in Louisiana, New Mexico and Texas,” said John J. Christmann IV, Apache's chief executive officer and president. “Our Tree Grant Program helps us contribute to enhancing community and public green spaces, conserving natural habitats, and beautifying neighborhoods in the areas where we live and work.”

This year's grants span numerous initiatives including reforestation, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bayou Teche National Refuge in Louisiana, partnering with groups such as Tree New Mexico to create greenspaces for underserved communities, supporting conservation projects such as the Big Bend Conservation Alliance in West Texas, and wildlife habitat preservation in South Texas through the Friends of the Wildlife Corridor.

“Through tree grants from Apache Corporation, Harris County Precinct 4’s Legacy Trees Project has expanded tree planting projects beyond our parks system and into communities as part of the Foster A Legacy Tree program,” said Texas resident and Harris County Precinct 4 arborist Laura Medick. “I am excited to see not only the growth of the trees but also the growth of community involvement in planting and caring for trees. When we create our own pocket of greatness, together we can leave a legacy for the future.”

Exploration Green Conservancy, a community green space and stormwater retention facility in Houston, TX, is working to convert an abandoned golf course into a green space for nature and area residents. “Apache's donation of 100 native trees will allow us to create a wooded area from what is now an open field, increasing the biological diversity and providing habitat for migrating birds and other wildlife species," said David Sharp, vice-chairman, Exploration Green Conservancy.

"Trees are truly miraculous! They inhale our carbon emissions from the air and produce oxygen for us to breathe, while sequestering carbon in their roots and the soil,” said Marianna Wright, executive director, National Butterfly Center, a 100-acre wildlife center and native species botanical garden in Mission, TX. “They also filter water and hold the earth in place to prevent erosion. As Hidalgo County continues to grow, trees will become increasingly important to our quality of life; so, we are grateful to Apache Corporation for their brilliant program that supports good land stewardship and sustainable habitat for birds, bees and butterflies."

“We feel so lucky to be part of the Apache Corporation Tree Grant Program again this year,” said Doreen Womack, executive director, Keep Midland Beautiful. “It’s fun to see the look on a person’s face when they receive their free tree. They are so proud because they were just trained on how to plant a tree correctly and are looking forward to a beautiful tree, that they planted, in their yard. The Apache Corporation Tree Grant Program allows the Keep Midland Beautiful TreeKeepers group to conduct hands on planting demonstrations with the ‘right tree, right place’ and irrigation education. Thank you, Apache!”

2021 Grant Recipients:

LOUISIANA

• Bayou Vermilion Preservation Association
• Hope Extreme
• Iberia Soil & Water Conservation District
• Lafayette Central Park, Inc. (Moncus Park)
• Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (Pontchartrain Conservancy)
• Living School
• NOLA Tree Project
• St. Mary Soil and Water Conservation District
• Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government
• The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana
• TreesAcadiana
• Trust for Public Land (USFWS Bayou Teche National Refuge)
• University of Louisiana at Lafayette

NEW MEXICO

• Sawmill Community Land Trust
• Tree New Mexico
• Village of Tijeras

TEXAS 

• Alief Super Neighborhood Council 25
• Alum Creek Wildlife Management Association
• Amarillo Parks & Recreation
• Andrews County Parks
• Big Bend Conservation Alliance
• Blackland Prairie Raptor Center
• Botanical Research Institute of Texas/Fort Worth Botanic Garden
• Brazoria County Parks Department
• Bryan Noon Lions Club
• Buffalo Bayou Partnership
• City of Alpine
• City of Baytown Parks and Recreation
• City of Edinburg
• City of Houston (Houston Parks and Recreation Department)
• City of Morton
• City of Pasadena Parks and Recreation
• City of Toyah
• Clint Small Middle School (Austin ISD)
• Come Into the Outside
• El Salvador Foundation
• Exploration Green Conservancy
• Friends of the Wildlife Corridor
• Galveston Bay Foundation
• Government Canyon State Natural Area
• Harris County Precinct 3
• Harris County Precinct 4
• Heart of the Hills Fisheries Science Center
• Hermann Park Conservancy
• Houston Wilderness, Inc.
• Just Do It Now, Inc.
• Keep Brazos Beautiful, Inc.
• Keep Katy Beautiful
• Keep Levelland Beautiful/Levelland Chamber of Commerce
• Keep Midland Beautiful
• Keep Odessa Beautiful
• Keep San Angelo Beautiful
• Keep Sugar Land Beautiful
• Kerr Wildlife Management Area
• Martin Dies State Park
• Native Plant Society of Texas, Kerrville Chapter (NPSOT)
• North American Butterfly Association (National Butterfly Center)
• Sam Houston State University
• San Angelo State Park
• Spur ISD
• St. Ambrose School
• Texas A&M Forest Service
• Texas A&M University at Galveston
• Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center
• Texas Master Naturalist Coastal Prairie Chapter Inc
• Texas Master Naturalists Hill Country Chapter
• Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
• TreeFolks, Inc.
• Village Creek State Park
• Village of Surfside Beach
• Webb County
• Whiteface CISD
• Wildlife Conservation and Education Society of South Texas

For more information about the Apache Tree Grant Program, please visit www.apachelovestrees.com.

About Apache

Apache Corporation, a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of APA Corporation (Nasdaq: APA), is an oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the United States, Egypt and the United Kingdom. Apache holds a majority interest in Altus Midstream Company, which, through its consolidated subsidiaries, operates gathering, processing and transmission assets in West Texas and holds equity ownership in four Permian-to-Gulf Coast pipelines. Apache’s parent corporation, APA Corporation, posts announcements, operational updates, investor information and press releases on its website, www.apacorp.com.

Source: Apache Corporation