Photos: Salt Lake City, foundation mark Arbor Day by planting trees on city’s west side

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, left, plants an Eastern redbud with her husband, Kyle LaMalfa, during an Arbor Day event at Rosewood Park in Salt Lake City on Friday. The city has partnered with the Clark and Christine Ivory Foundation to provide tree-planting opportunities for residents in support of Mendenhall’s goal of planting 1,000 new trees per year on the city’s west side. On Friday 25 Turkish filbert and Eastern redbud trees were added to the western edge of the park. “Environmental equity is really important to me,” Mendenhall said in a statement. “Our west-side residents and businesses endure the worst air quality in the city in addition to other disparities. Our tree-planting effort is one piece of a larger plan the city is undertaking with our partners to address such inequities,” she said. Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April, although some states observe it on dates that better coincide with the local area’s planting times. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the first Arbor Day occurred on April 10, 1872, in Nebraska City, Nebraska. It’s estimated that nearly 1 million trees were planted on this day. Within 20 years of its creation, the holiday was celebrated in every American state except Delaware, which eventually joined in.

1 of 3

2 of 3

3 of 3