Celebrate Arbor Day planting trees at Lewis Creek Park

Published October 11 2024

Wondering how to "act locally, think globally?" Celebrating Arbor Day by planting trees and shrubs at Lewis Creek Park would do the trick. Community members can register to participate Saturday, Oct. 26, 8:45-11 a.m., at the park, 5808 Lakemont Blvd. SE.

Volunteers will plant native trees such as Sitka spruce, western hemlock and red twig dogwood to restore habitat at the park. Community members may also remove noxious weeds like English ivy, which quickly spreads into healthy forests. These kinds of interventions help the forest with positive, long-lasting benefits.

While Arbor Day was technically April 26, states and cities will often mark the day whenever the weather is best regionally for planting trees. In 2022 Bellevue switched from celebrating Arbor Day and Earth Day together in April to marking Arbor Day with tree planting events in the fall.

In 1872, Arbor Day started when Julius Morton, a member of Nebraska's State Board of Agriculture, proposed a day to plant and appreciate trees.

One of the goals of Bellevue's Environmental Stewardship Plan is to preserve the city's existing tree canopy and form partnerships to plant 75,000 more trees over the next 30 years.

Bellevue's nearly 1.5 million trees provide health, environmental and economic benefits. Trees contribute to Bellevue's character and to the health of its ecosystem. They also oxygenate the air, provide food and habitat for small animals and microorganisms and reduce the impacts of stormwater runoff. Shade from trees also cools the city.

More information about the city's tree preservation and environmental stewardship efforts can be found at BellevueWA.gov/trees.