Menlo Park celebrates Arbor Day 2026 with mayoral tree planting

Published on April 20, 2026

What did the tree wear to the pool party?
Swimming trunks!

Did you know that the Arbor Day Foundation designated the City of Menlo Park as a Tree City USA city in 2025? This marks the City's 27th consecutive year as a Tree City, demonstrating Menlo Park's strong commitment to effective urban forest management.

This week is special as it includes Earth Day on April 22 and National Arbor Day on April 24. To commemorate, Menlo Park's Scout Troop 109 and Canopy joined Mayor Nash, Environmental Quality Commission members and City staff in the planting of two Chinese fringe trees last Thursday. Every year, each Mayor plants a tree during their term which coincided with the celebration for Arbor Day this year.

Canopy staff engaged their Teen Urban Foresters and Scout Troop 109 in learning about the benefits of trees. City staff provided shovels and guidance to the Scouts and Urban Foresters to the dig holes for the trees. Volunteers spread mulch around the tree bases and watered them to help the roots establish. Thank you, Scouts and Canopy Urban Foresters!

A fun fact about the Chinese fringe tree species — its scientific name, Chionanthus, comes from Greek, meaning "snow" and "flower," describing the white, fringe-like petals that bloom in spring and summer.

Curious to see where previous mayors have planted ceremonial trees? Check out our Arbor Day and mayoral tree planting map with planting locations since 2006.

Additionally, the Arbor Day Foundation has awarded Menlo Park with a Growth Award for the ninth consecutive year. The Growth Award signifies innovative, higher-level tree care, education and community engagement, encouraging long-term, sustainable urban forestry programs. This year's Growth Award highlighted several initiatives, including the reuse of wood from City trees and the saving/relocation of trees that would otherwise have been removed for city improvement projects.