Greenwich Tree Conservancy Lauds Parks & Rec for Planting Trees during the Pandemic

From our friends at the Greenwich Tree Conservancy

This is a milestone week marking the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and the 148th anniversary of Arbor Day, a nationally celebrated observance that sets aside a day dedicated to tree planting and increasing awareness of the importance of trees. Arbor Day is always the 4th Friday in April, this year it is April 24th.

The very first Arbor Day was in Nebraska in April 1872, at the insistence of Julius Sterling Morton a journalist and politician who later served as President Grover Cleveland’s Secretary of Agriculture.

The Greenwich Tree Conservancy is in its 13th year as a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting Greenwich’s trees. This is done in part through a private public partnership with the Town. This partnership has resulted in planting over 4,500 trees on public lands in Greenwich.

This week in honor of Arbor Day we are planting a tree at each of nine schools: Central, Eastern and Western Middle Schools, Cos Cob School, International School at Dundee, Julian Curtiss School, North Mianus School, Old Greenwich School and Riverside School.

We plan to film the First Selectman reading the Arbor Day Proclamation at 11:00am Friday morning at North Mianus School for all to see.

We would like to thank the Tree Division of the Department of Parks and Recreation for continuing this planting during the pandemic.

Additionally, we are pleased that Eversource has agreed to purchase and plant 12 trees on North Maple Avenue and its surrounds in honor of Arbor Day as a gift to the town.

We hope on Friday you go out and hug a tree. Once you find that perfect tree, hold on tight and don’t let go!