The Town of Bethlehem celebrated Arbor Day on March 7 by planting a Willow Oak and a Red Oak in the town’s park near the gazebo. The trees were donated for the eighth straight year by Carruth Nurseries of Monroe and volunteer and former councilman Wayne Ridgeway brought his excavator to dig the holes needed to plant the trees.
Bethlehem is proud to have earned recognition as a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for the tenth straight year. The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. Its network of more than a million supporters and partners has helped the organization plant more than 500 million trees in forests and communities across more than 60 countries since 1972.
In cities and neighborhoods, trees are proven to help mitigate the urban heata island effect, reduce stormwater runoff, improve air quality and boost mental and physical health. When the right trees are planted in the right places, they can also reduce traffic noise, increase property values and lower energy costs for homeowners.