ARBOR DAY: The Arbor Day Foundation was quite busy this year, appearing for events across the country on Friday in honor of the tree-planting celebration.
This year was the 145th celebration, too.
“A holiday established in 1872 in Nebraska City to inspire people to plant trees, it became a legal holiday in 1885,” the foundation stated in a press release.
Among the celebrations on Friday was one in the holiday’s birthplace of Nebraska City, where they celebrated with a 5K, a parade and an Arbor Day Market. Also, visitors were invited to the home of Arbor Day Found J. Sterling Morton, or the Arbor Day Farm and Lied Lodge.
Meanwhile, Ripley, Ohio, was awarded a grant by winning a photo contest for a “submission of a beautiful city tree canopy picture.”
In Lansing, Mich., second- and third-graders were invited to watch the planting of the official State Arbor Day tree at Potter Park Zoo.
They celebrated in style in Frankfort, Ky., where participants enjoyed a hot air balloon ride, followed by a tree-planting ceremony.
“Arbor Day is that one day every year reminding us to think about all that trees do for us — a day for reflection and for action,” said Dan Lambe, president, Arbor Day Foundation.
Columbia Gas took the celebration of Earth Day and Arbor Day as an opportunity to remind anyone putting a shovel into the ground to call first to make sure there are no underground lines in that spot.
“The national ‘Call Before You Dig’ number, 811, connects homeowners and contractors with the Pennsylvania One Call System,” Columbia Gas explained in a press release. “Calling 811 gives utility companies the opportunity to mark buried pipes and cables before digging commences, protecting not only the utility lines, but those digging as well. Calling 811 is free for homeowners, and it’s the law.”
When you call, a professional line locator comes to look at the site for you. While it’s a pain to add an extra step to your yard work, it’s a much bigger pain — and a safety hazard — to inadvertently strike into a utility line.
You’ll want to call at least three business days before digging. Once the lines are marked, leave them there.
