Trees grow on Laguna Beach community in Arbor Day celebration
A couple hundred tree enthusiasts turned out for the annual Arbor Day celebration at Boat Canyon Park in Laguna Beach on Thursday afternoon.
The attendees had a multitude of community organizations and environmentally focused groups to learn from.
Laguna Beach Public Works Department provided an opportunity for kids to spin and win prizes, which served as an icebreaker and a chance to teach about composting.
Anaheim-based Street Tree Revival, which helps save city trees from ending up in landfills, showed some of its handiwork, bringing wood slabs with intricate designs engraved via laser.
The Laguna Beach Garden Club had a couple of its members dress up in bee costumes. Laguna Canyon Conservancy asked those who passed by to identify which fruits were on their table. Those who flaunted their knowledge went home with a nutritious treat.
Additional community groups on hand included Crystal Cove Conservancy, LOCA Arts Education, Laguna Canyon Foundation, Laguna Greenbelt and the South Laguna Community Garden, among others.
“The importance of Arbor Day is to connect with our community, celebrate trees, appreciate the benefits they provide to our community and spread awareness for the role they play in our lives,” Mayor Sue Kempf said. “They not only add beauty to our city and build civic pride for Laguna. They are also critical infrastructure.”
Kempf added that the Public Works Department planted 37 trees in the last year, while also repairing and restoring dozens of tree wells in the downtown area to allow them more room to grow.
City arborist Matthew Barker recognized the students who participated in a youth art contest, for which he said the theme was “Thank you trees.” He added the contest received the most entries this year than in the four it has taken place.
“We had so many entries, I had to go out and buy more prizes,” Barker said. Those who received honorable mention went home with bonsai trees.
About a dozen grade-school children assisted city officials in the planting of a native tree. Barker tied his tips for those planting trees at home into the afternoon’s ceremonial tree planting. He started by advising that the planting hole should be twice as wide as the container for the tree.
“This is a 24-inch box Torrey pine, so we planted about a 4-foot planting hole,” Barker said. “Make sure you plant it at grade and give it plenty of water to really get out all the air pockets in the soil, tamp the soil down really well.”
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