The 23rd Annual Arbor Day celebration was held at the Gazebo on Saturday, April 27, 2019. Beaver has once again been designated a Tree City USA®, remaining one of the 3,400 cities and towns across the country with this distinction. The Borough was given a new banner and documentation in acknowledgment.
Trees are a valuable part of our community as they tame stormwater, save energy, remove carbon dioxide from the air, benefit wildlife, and are a good investment as every dollar spent on planting and caring for a community tree yields benefits that are two to five times that investment.
Several trees were planted around Beaver, some of which were memorial trees, during the celebration. College Square Elementary 5th graders were given awards for their drawings as well.
The following speech was given by Shade Tree Commission Junior Member and Beaver Area High School Senior, Don Hare: “My name is Don Hare, I’m the student representative to the Beaver Shade Tree Commission and have been for the past three years. I would like to start off by thanking Phil. Tim and Jeff for the wonderful opportunity they gave me to work alongside them. I joined the Shade Tree Commission three years ago because I was passionate about the environment and trees. I was raised to respect nature. My family would often go on woods walks when I was younger and I attended McKeever Environmental Camp in 4th grade along with my classmates. I often hear new residents say how lucky they are to live in a town where they have access to rivers and tree lined streets all within walking distance of their homes. With summer coming we are especially lucky as the trees now have their leaves and the birds and squirrels have made homes in them. I encourage you to look up and enjoy the beauty Beaver offers, we don’t want to take it for granted. We are very lucky to have these wonderful trees and parks, which is why we should treat the earth with respect. It may seem impossible to make a change to the earth but small daily actions add up. Younger generations and new families deserve to see the same beauty we see here today, so by taking any action we can to protect our trees and the greater environment, we can share this beautiful earth with them.”
If you’d like to get involved in the Borough’s Shade Tree Commission, their meetings are open to the public and held on the 4th Monday of the month at 7 pm at the Borough Building.
