There are only a few select cities in the United States that can say they are passionately dedicated to preserving the natural beauty and air-quality of their city.
As the nation continues to grow and expand in all directions, business and housing expansions frequently come at the expense of local forest preservation. The City of Santa Clarita, however, is a City devoted to being environmental- and tree-friendly.
On Saturday, May 19, everyone in the community is invited to attend the City’s 18th annual Arbor Day Celebration, which serves to educate residents about the benefits of trees as part of the world-recognized Arbor Day holiday.
The annual celebration will be hosted at Central Park, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., located at 27150 Bouquet Canyon Road.
In honor of the City’s 20th year, Arbor Day will raffle two 20-inch talking Smokey the Bear stuffed animals provided by the U.S. Forest Service and a quilt made by the Santa Clarita Quilt Club and much more.
This year, Arbor Day will give away 1,000 free trees and 1,000 bags of free tree mulch to those in attendance and 20 free garden gourmet bins to the first 20 people that sign up and attend the compost workshops.
Festivities include live entertainment, food, coffee-ground garden mulch, tree planting activities, children’s events, a compost workshop and tons of environmental exhibitors. There will also be a large slide, moon bounce, rock wall, crafts, scavenger hunt and fingerprinting provided by the Optimist for kids.
Everyone in the community is invited to attend the free event put on by the City’s Neighborhood Leaf Out Program, which is part of the City’s Urban Forestry Division.
Started in 1990 by the City’s Urban Forestry Division, the Neighborhood Leaf Out Program was designed to assist Urban Forestry with handling community needs. The program deals with group plantings by residents, schools and local organizations. They organize the City’s Arbor Day Celebration and Oak Tree Day each year.
Each year the Neighborhood Leaf Out Program seeks to promote the overall greening of Santa Clarita through educational programs, tree plantings and the vigilant maintenance of local trees by staff and contract workers.
Hundreds of volunteers sign up each year to contribute their time and knowledge to the Leaf Out Program. The combined efforts of City coordinators and volunteers result in the planting and care of hundreds of new trees in the community. This includes distributing literature and teaching local residents tree maintenance and care techniques.
In addition to sponsoring the Arbor Day festivities, the Neighborhood Leaf Out Program can also assist local residents who wish to plant new trees within the City’s right-of-way. This service is available year-round. A variety of species are available, depending on the location to be planted and the City will choose the most appropriate tree for the area.
Awarded the prestigious title of Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation for seventeen consecutive years, the City continues to prove its commitment to conserving natural woods and expanding the urban forest.
Statistics show that the City of Santa Clarita currently boasts over 55,000 urban forestry trees within its borders. In 1987, the City became incorporated and assumed responsibility of approximately 30,000 urban forestry trees. In 20 years, the City has increased the tree population by an additional 25,000 trees.
Aside from simply producing oxygen, trees provide a multitude of benefits for a community. Trees remove harmful carbon dioxide and pollutants from the air, catch dust, provide energy-saving windbreaks and shade for buildings, insulate areas against noise and reduce the amount of runoff from rainfall.
Come join the City for the 18th Annual Arbor Day Celebration. Families are welcome and everyone is encouraged to attend and learn about the importance of trees in maintaining our beautiful community.
Environmental groups participating in this year’s Arbor Day include: Southern California Edison’s Vegetation Department, The Energy Coalition, Castaic Water Agency, Placerita Canyon Nature Center, L.A. County Forestry and Fire, U.S. Forest Service, L.A. Sheriff Department, Optimist Group, Friends of the Santa Clara River and The National Wildlife Federation, Audubon Society, and Bio Contactors L.A. County Gardening Program.
City Groups participating include: The Santa Clarita Quilt Club, Santa Clarita Woodcarvers Society, the City’s Urban Forestry Division, Transit Department, and Environmental Services Departments.
For more information about this year’s Arbor Day Celebration or about the Neighborhood Leaf Out Program, please contact the City at 661-294-2567.