As is customary on the second Friday of February, Meridian celebrated Mississippi Arbor Day in Highland Park.

The Meridian Tree Commission and other agencies were on hand as five trees were planted in the park to mark the occasion.

Pecan trees were planted in the field adjacent to Highland Park Drive. Seedlings were also given away to those in attendance. The trees were provided by the Apache Foundation.

"The Apache Foundation is the non-profit arm of the Apache Corporation, which is an oil and gas company based in Houston, Texas," said Castlen Kennedy, manager of investor relations for Apache Corp. "And the foundation has a Tree Grant Program where we give away trees to non-profits in various states across the country."

The Apache Foundation just expanded to include Mississippi in its grants. This is the first grant given by the foundation in Mississippi.

National Arbor Day is observed the last Friday in April.