HOUSTON, Oct. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  Apache Corporation, a subsidiary of APA Corporation (Nasdaq: APA), today announced the donation of more than 134,000 trees to 52 nonprofit partner organizations through the annual Apache Corporation Tree Grant Program. Since 2005, over 5 million trees have been granted to more than 1,000 nonprofit partners and government agencies.

“Apache’s spirit of ingenuity has been an important driver of our tree grant program since its founding 19 years ago, emphasizing our unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship,” said John J. Christmann IV, the company’s chief executive officer. “Trees are essential to the conservation, beautification and longevity of a thriving society, providing cleaner air, water filtration and green spaces for the benefit of communities. We are honored to partner with these organizations as we continue to responsibly meet the world’s oil and gas needs.”

A committee comprising members of the company’s community partnerships, compliance and environmental, health and safety, and government affairs departments provides guidance for the program’s direction and selection process. Organizations are chosen based on geographic location, potential for environmental impact, and opportunities for community engagement.

U.S. tree grant recipients for the 2024-25 planting season represent an array of urban areas, rural communities and wildlife preservations that cover diverse and critical ecosystems throughout Texas, New Mexico and Louisiana. Harris County Precinct 4, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Big Bend Conservation Alliance (BBCA) are three key partners of the program, benefiting numerous habitats and bettering the quality of life for nearby communities.

Harris County Precinct 4, represented by commissioner Lesley Briones, is part of the largest county in Texas, maintaining 55 parks and more than 14,000 acres of green space for its 1.2 million residents.

“I am grateful for Apache Corporation’s partnership helping Harris County protect our most vulnerable communities,” Briones said. “Within Harris County Precinct 4, areas such as Alief and Gulfton experience temperatures that are 10 to 17 degrees hotter than other neighborhoods. The Apache Corporation tree grant will be key in expanding the tree canopy, providing more shade, lowering temperatures and addressing the urban heat island effect. Together, we will be advancing wellness and resiliency.”

Additionally, Harris County Precinct 3 covers 15,000 acres of greenspace that includes 72 parks and nature centers across 6,800 lane miles across the Greater Houston area from Cypress to Baytown. Planting trees supports the goals of Precinct 3's parks and trails masterplan to increase shade and heat relief, and restore natural habitats for birds and wildlife, help control erosion, and provide welcoming outdoor spaces for everyone to enjoy.

“One of the hallmarks of Precinct 3 has always been parks, trails, and roadways lined with beautiful trees,” said Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey. “Thank you to Apache Corporation for their ongoing support over the years to place more trees throughout not only our precinct, but throughout our region, as they recognize the unlimited benefits this feature brings to communities.”

Since 1951, TPWD has provided outdoor recreational opportunities by managing and protecting wildlife, parklands and historic areas that are essential to the natural and cultural resources of Texas.

“We are happy to be receiving trees at several of our sites located throughout the state and in different divisions of TPWD, which include state parks, wildlife management areas, fish hatcheries, Austin headquarters, and the game warden training center,” said TPWD sustainability manager Cate McClendon. “The process of coordinating tree delivery has gone smoothly this year with all sites already scheduled for October.”

In Alpine, Texas, BBCA is a nonprofit organization that serves local wildlife by nurturing relationships within shared environments to create inclusive, equitable and just approaches to conservation with communities in the region.

“Apache's Tree Grant Program has given our organization the chance to connect with Big Bend's remote and isolated communities, helping bring tree canopy to towns that regularly experience the effects of extreme heat in the Chihuahuan Desert,” said BBCA executive director Shelley Bernstein. “We've been able to plant hundreds of native, drought-tolerant species for residents through outreach partnerships at food pantries, libraries, social service agencies, schools and subsidized housing. The program has helped us realize our mission of inclusive, equitable, and just approaches to conservation in Far West Texas.”

These organizations represent nonprofits and government agencies of varying scales, geographic regions and demographics that the tree grant program supports, with a full list of this year's recipients listed below.

2024 Grant Recipients:

LOUISIANA

• BREC - Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge
• Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL)
• Iberia Soil & Water Conservation District
• Keep Hammond Beautiful
• Moncus Park
• NOLA Tree Project
• Pearl River-Honey Island Swamp Museum & Research Center
• Pontchartrain Conservancy
• Proud Louisiana c/o Parish Proud
• St. Mary Soil & Water Conservation District
• Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government
• Woodlands Conservancy

NEW MEXICO

• City of Las Cruces
• Hermit's Peak Watershed Alliance
• La Cosecha Community Supported Agriculture
• Tree New Mexico

TEXAS 

• Big Bend Conservation Alliance
• Big Lake Economic Development Corp
• Brazoria County Master Gardener Association
• Bryan Noon Lions Club
• Buffalo Bayou Partnership
• City of Alpine
• City of Andrews
• City of Boerne
• City of Edinburg
• City of Fort Stockton-Keep Historic Fort Stockton Beautiful
• City of Lubbock
• City of McAllen
• City of Pasadena Parks and Recreation
• City of Seabrook
• Exploration Green Conservancy
• Fort Stockton Historical Society
• Galveston Island Tree Conservancy
• Harris County Precinct 3
• Harris County Precinct 4
• Hermann Park Conservancy
• Houston Botanic Garden
• Houston Parks & Recreation Department
• Houston Wilderness
• Keep Laredo Beautiful
• Keep San Angelo Beautiful
• Keep Sugar Land Beautiful
• KSA Parks Foundation - Trees for Kingwood
• Missouri City Green
• Native Plant Society of Texas, Fredericksburg Chapter
• Native Plant Society of Texas, Kerville Chapter
• Scenic Texas, Inc.
• Texas Blossoms
• Texas Longleaf Team
• Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (4 different projects; see pdf)
• TreeFolks
• Webb County

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

About Apache

Apache Corporation a 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’s parent corporation, APA Corporation, posts announcements, operational updates, investor information and press releases on its website, www.apacorp.com.

About Apache Corporation Tree Grant Program

Founded in 2005, the Apache Corporation Tree Grant Program is a philanthropic initiative of Apache Corporation that donates trees to nonprofits and government entities in the company’s operational areas. In 2023, the program was expanded to Scotland, with the donation of 3,600 trees to several non-profit organizations. The program focuses on grants that support large-scale conservation, protection of habitats for wildlife and native species, as well as the restoration and enhancement of public greenspaces. This award-winning environmental stewardship initiative has provided more than 5 million trees to over 900 to qualified partners in the United States. In addition to the development and improvement of public parks and greenspaces, community partners often request trees to support a broad range of conservation efforts, including preservation of natural habitats and reforestation. To learn more about the program, visit www.apachelovestrees.com

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Source: Apache Corporation