Harford County seeks volunteers to help plant Arbor Day trees April 15

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Volunteers are invited to help plant 230 trees at the Harford County Waste Disposal Center in Street April 15. Here are the details provided by Harford County government:

Volunteers help plant more than 300 trees at Fox Meadows Complex in Jarrettsville during Harford County’s Arbor Day celebration in 2017. (Photo courtesy of the Harford County government)

Volunteers Invited to Plant Trees Friday, April 15 for Harford County’s Arbor Day Celebration

BEL AIR, Md., (March 28, 2022) – Harford County will celebrate Arbor Day this year by planting 230 trees at the Harford County Waste Disposal Center in Street. Volunteers are needed to help with the plantings on Friday, April 15 beginning at 9:30 a.m. Families, civic organizations, school groups, and Scouts are welcome. Everyone will receive a free tree to take home.

After missing two years because of COVID-19, this year marks the 17th Arbor Day celebration organized by the Harford County Department of Planning & Zoning to plant native trees throughout the county. Since the celebrations began in 2003, Harford has planted over 32,000 native trees, including red maple, tulip poplar, white oak, black walnut, eastern red cedar, and redbud.

Participants should bring a shovel and work gloves, if they have them, and arrive at 9:30 a.m. at the parking area off Sandy Hook Road. Tree planting will begin at 10 a.m. and is expected to last two to three hours.

This year’s event will feature demonstrations from many local environmental organizations. The free native tree will be provided courtesy of the Forest Conservancy District Board of Harford County, an advocacy group that promotes stewardship, conservation, and sustainable use of Maryland’s forest resources. 

The celebration will include the presentation of the Arbor Day Foundation’s National Arbor Day Tree City USA Award to Harford County government. The award, which Harford will be presented for the 19th time, recognizes the work of elected officials, staff, and citizens who plant and care for the community forest, benefiting the environment and the economy. The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation organization of nearly one million members whose mission is to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees.

Trees reduce air, noise and visual pollution, stabilize soils and reduce water pollution through absorption. They also enhance property values and provide protection from the sun by reducing glare; reduce the heat island effect by shading buildings and parking lots and add beauty to our surroundings.  

More information about this year’s Arbor Day celebration is available from the Department of Planning and Zoning, at 410-638-3103 ext. 1359.