Arbor Day ideal time to plant more trees
Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday of April, and dozens of plantings and other tree-related activities are planned locally in the days and weeks surrounding April 27.
Danielle Crumrine, executive director of Tree Pittsburgh, said Allegheny County’s insufficient population of native trees is at least partially responsible for some of the region’s problems.
“Trees provide so many benefits to a community it’s hard to list them all,” she said. “[Among] the big issues in the news right now are landslides. Trees are good at holding hills together. Some of the recent [hillside collapses] probably wouldn’t have happened if they were property planted.”
Activities by the nonprofit conservation group include a volunteer planting of more than 60 trees in Allegheny Cemetery in Lawrenceville from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. Volunteers are also needed every Wednesday at Tree Pittsburgh’s Heritage Nursery in Lawrenceville and in planting 1,000
trees in large swaths of the former Bell Acres Recreation Park on April 21 in celebration of Earth Day (April 22). Hours on both days are 9 a.m.-noon. To sign up or for more information, call 412781‑8733,
email info@treepittsburgh.org or go to treepittsburgh.org.
Conservationists of legal age who are willing to bend an elbow for the cause can volunteer during Arbrew Days, April 23–29, when the purchase of tree specials from the drink menus of nine bars and restaurants will benefit tree planting programs in Pittsburgh.
Ms. Crumrine said the two “big powerhouse issues” that trees address are air quality and storm water runoff.
“Trees are good at capturing air particulate matter and catching rainfall before it hits the ground and gets into storm drains,” she said.
Urban tree cover also stabilizes landscaped areas, augments native habitat and provides cooling shade to homes, roads and sidewalks.
“Tree planting events also serve a social function,” Ms. Crumrine said. “They’re a great way to meet neighbors, and the plantings often lead to other neighborhood improvements like community murals and vacant lot cleanups.”
As the story goes, the first documented mass planting of trees occurred in the Spanish village of Mondoñedo in 1594. Now called Alameda de los Remedios, the village continues to be planted every year with lime and horse chestnut trees.
America’s first Arbor Day was held in Nebraska on April 10, 1872, when about 1 million trees were planted across the state. The holiday really took root when Pennsylvania conservationists persuaded President Theodore Roosevelt to issue what was then called his Arbor Day Proclamation to the School Children of the United States on April 15, 1907, arguing that conservation and forestry practices should be taught in schools.