It’s not too unusual for someone to give a city or town a gift, usually one of money. It is somewhat unusual for someone to make a gift of 20 live oaks.

That’s what Ford Worthy did. To show its gratitude for the gift, the City of Washington presented Worthy a certificate of appreciation during the City Council’s meeting Monday.

The live oaks were planted at Oakdale Cemetery and along Jack’s Creek.

“I would like to salute you and the council and the manager for accepting this gift. Most people who accept a gift that’s not going to materialize for 30 or 40 years may want their money back,” Worthy said to Mayor Mac Hodges, who presented the certificate to Worthy, who grew the trees on his farm near Belhaven.

In a written statement provided to the Washington Daily News, Worthy explained the motivation behind his gift to the city. Worthy noted that he grew up around live oaks — those near St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Washington, those along the banks of the Pamlico River in Washington Park and other areas.

“As a young man, after the Navy and after college, I was in the land clearing business. It never bothered me to destroy a sweet gum or a pine, but when a Live Oak happened to be in harm’s way I would feel the desire to relocate it, work around it, or, in some way, spare its destruction,” Worthy wrote.

Worthy wrote that a trip to the campus of Louisiana State University several years ago set in motion his effort to propagate live oaks.

“Friends and family members questioned why I would undertake a Live Oak propagation project at my age. They implied that by the time I could raise a Live Oak, a limb of which would support a swing, my twilight years would have expired. Therein lies the problem. Decision makers as a rule want to see the results of tree planting within a relatively short time. As far as Beaufort and Pitt counties are concerned, we, as a community have destroyed more Live Oaks than we have planted. Although this is not statistically supported, it is my opinion. Live Oaks are long term ornamental evergreens, and they are worth propagating for future generations,” Worthy wrote.

Worthy explains why the live oak is his favorite tree: “The combination of its trunk, bark, limb arrangement an its evergreen crown reflect an indescribable majesty.:

The poet Joyce Kilmer, author of “Trees,” would understand.