What’s in our backyard that cleans our air, filters our water, and cools our home?  Trees!  But trees provide a lot more than clean air and water – they also slow flooding, pull carbon dioxide out of the air, reduce stress, and of course support wildlife and aquatic life.  There are so many benefits that our tree relatives provide to us, and Arbor Day is a day to celebrate the importance of trees, to learn about our role in protecting them, and to plant trees around the nation!

On Friday, April 29^th, the City of Auburn Hills celebrated Arbor Day with second graders from R. Grant Graham Elementary school.  The Department of Public Works prepared the school grounds for planting a London Plane tree, the students learned about the importance of trees in our community from the City’s Certified Arborist, Dan Sheridan, and they learned about the features of a London Plane tree from the City’s Nature Education and Operations Coordinator, Fallon Franczyk.  Students then helped to plant and water the tree.

Thank you to all the students and staff at R. Grant Graham Elementary School who helped us celebrate!  We will look forward to watching the tree grow and we hope everyone works to protect our trees every day throughout the year, and especially on Arbor Day! 

Sage Hegdal, Recreation Director, and Tim Wisser, Manager of Municipal Properties