Arbor Day celebrations set for Tulare County, CA

Arbor Day celebrations set for Tulare County visaliatimesdelta.com Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register:
What's the big deal about trees?

'Trees can reduce energy usage, act as a wind break, reduce noise, control erosion, clean the air, increase property values and make people feel good,' wrote Brian Kempf, arborist and director of Visalia's Urban Tree Foundation, in an e-mail.

Many of those were the same reasons J. Sterling Morton pushed to establish Arbor Day 138 years ago, which he did successfully. In fact, the Arbor Tree Foundation estimates that about 1 million trees were planted on that first Arbor Day in Nebraska.

It became a national celebration still recognized today with events such as the one May 8 at Valley Oaks Golf Course in Visalia, where 200 trees will be planted by volunteers. The event is 8 to 11 a.m. May 8 at 1111 Road 86 off Plaza Drive and Walnut Avenue.