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Media contact: Carolyn Marinan, Communications, 612-348-5969

Media contact: Alisa Reckinger, Environment and Energy, 612-348-4788

Hennepin County celebrates Arbor Day

Arbor Day is a great time to get involved planting and caring for trees. Trees provide numerous benefits, including improving air and water quality, reducing soil erosion and stormwater runoff, increasing wildlife habitat, providing savings in heating and cooling, improving health, and increasing property values.  

Get involved in your community: attend an Arbor Day event

There are many Arbor Day events scheduled throughout Hennepin County for residents to get involved with, including:

• Edina Arbor Day celebration: Friday, April 28 at 10 a.m. at Sherwood Park
• Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Arbor Day celebration: Friday, April 28 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Lake Hiawatha Park
• Robbinsdale Arbor Day Celebration: Saturday, April 29 at 10 a.m. at Triangle Park
• Maple Grove Arbor Day: Saturday, April 29 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Maple Grove Community Center
• Eden Prairie Arbor Day walk and green fair: Saturday, May 6 from 9 a.m. to noon at Staring Lake Park
• St. Louis Park Arbor Day celebration and community tree planting: Saturday, May 6 from 9 a.m. to noon at the St. Louis Park Rec Center
• Midtown Greenway Arbor Day Event: Saturday, May 6 at 9 a.m. between 31st Avenue South and 36th Avenue South on the Midtown Greenway
• Plymouth Forest for the Future: Sunday, June 4 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Northwest Greenway

This year, Hennepin County is partnering with Valley View Elementary and Middle School in Bloomington to plant trees at the Oxboro Library and on the middle school property. The county is also partnering with Tree Trust to support the Midtown Community Works 17th annual Arbor Day event, during which volunteers will plant the 5,000th tree along the Midtown Greenway.

Check with your city, neighborhood or community to see if any additional events are planned.

Get involved: take care of your trees at home

In addition to getting involved in your community, there are many things you can do at home to care for trees and enhance the tree canopy.

• If you have ash trees on your property, learn more about the emerald ash borer and your options for managing ash trees. Remember to only prune ash trees from October 1 to April 30 when the emerald ash borer is not active. See Hennepin County’s new emerald ash borer brochure for more information.
• Plant more trees in your yard. Make sure to plant the right tree in the right place and select a variety of tree that is well-suited to your growing conditions. And remember that young trees require maintenance, including watering, mulching, staking and pruning to ensure they survive in their new environment. Consult your city forester for the best trees to use in your area, see the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources tree planting information, and see the U.S Forest Service Tree Owner’s Manual for care instructions.
• Dispose of tree waste at compost sites where it will be recycled into a nutrient-rich soil amendment.
• Do not transport firewood. Tree pests like emerald ash borer can spread more rapidly when infested wood is transported. Buy or get fire wood from close to where you plan to burn it.

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Look for more news on the Hennepin County website at www.hennepin.us/news.

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