California Arbor Week is here, an annual event that runs March 7-14. It’s a week-long reminder to celebrate our trees + natural resources — very much like National Arbor Day, but seven whole days in a row and regionalized to the Golden State.
The State approved the event in 2011, thanks to the initiative of Sacramento-based nonprofit California ReLeaf. In its resolution, the State cites ten different benefits of trees, including their positive impacts on air quality, water purity, and citizens’ sense of connection to nature, and urges folks to “observe the week with appropriate tree planting activities and programs.”
Thankfully, that’s easy to do in Sacramento — we are the City of Trees, after all.
The Sacramento Tree Foundation, a local nonprofit that supports our 1.5 million trees and serves under-canopied communities across the region, is throwing a joint celebration of California Arbor Week and its 40th anniversary on Sat., March 13.
The free event will provide the opportunity to learn about our city’s trees, purchase native plants from Miridae Mobile Nursery, and grab a taco or two from Chando’s. That alone should be enough to get you there.
Sac Tree also has a robust series of guides on how to plant and care for new trees, even offering a program with SMUD where Sacramentans can receive up to 10 free shade trees. Local nurseries like Green Acres, The Plant Foundry, and Talini’s Nursery also make it incredibly easy for those wanting to pick out trees on their own.
Or, if you want to celebrate the event but want something more low-key, Sac Tree is throwing a scavenger hunt on Instagram + the California Arbor Week website has educational activities for students up to middle school that demonstrate the wonder of the natural world.
Happy California Arbor Week, Sac.
