Trees are important: Get one for free on Saturday

LIHUE — The Kauai Landscape Industry Council will be celebrating Arbor Day on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, with the 21st annual Arbor Day Free Tree Giveaway event at the Kukui Grove Center south parking lot, or the space occupied by the Pau Hana Market on Mondays.

Approximately 1,200 native and non-invasive trees will be given away. People receiving trees are encouraged to come early because the event closes when all the trees have been given away, or at noon, whichever comes first.

“Plant a tree, and help save the planet,” said Maurina Borgatti, the Arbor Day co-chair. “This year’s event will include our educational partners and the popular Keiki Planting Zone.”

The purpose of the Keiki Planting Zone is to provide a free, fun activity where keiki are taught how to transplant and grow young seedlings that they can take home and cultivate.

The KLIC educational partners provide crucial information on conserving and protecting the island’s natural resources and community. Larry Borgatti is the president of the KLIC.

“A special mahalo to our major sponsors, the Kukui Grove Center, Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program, as well as our local supporters, plant growers and volunteers,” Maurina Borgatti said.

Arbor Day is a national holiday that recognizes the importance of trees, according to The Old Farmers Almanac. The most common way people celebrate Arbor Day is to get together in groups to plant trees.

Celebrated and observed in multiple countries around the globe, the day was the brainchild of Julius Sterling Morton, a Nebraska journalist who later became the U.S. Agriculture secretary under President Grover Cleveland.

An estimated 1 million trees were planted during the first Arbor Day on April 10, 1874, according to The Old Farmers Almanac.

Some of the ways to celebrate Arbor Day, courtesy of the Arbor Day Foundation:

Celebrate in a personal way by planting a tree on your own property, or volunteer with one’s local government agency to plant or care for trees on public land.

Read a book about trees, and learn to identify trees in your yard and neighborhood.

Visit a local park, or take a nature hike, taking care to notice the different tree varieties you encounter.

Attend a class on tree and plant care.

Volunteer with a local tree planting organization.
Source: The Garden Island