Menlo Park celebrates Arbor Day with mayoral tree planting

Published on April 22, 2024

Where do young saplings go for school?
Elmen-TREE school!

In this case, four young trees were planted at the Belle Haven Child Development Center to celebrate Arbor Day on April 9. This year, National Arbor Day is on April 26.

The City partners with a nonprofit organization, Canopy, to assist with the tree plantings. The kids from the Center joined Mayor Cecilia Taylor, the Environmental Quality Commission and City staff in planting four ceremonial trees – one trident maples, two fern pines and one red maple. Each classroom had an opportunity to plant a tree in the ground and learn about the benefits of growing trees.

The event started off with a story time from the Mayor who read two nature-themed books to each classroom, then City staff handed out “safety gears” and mini shovels to the kids, and the kids started shoveling dirt into the ground. The last tree, the red maple, by the administrative office, was the Mayor’s ceremonial planting. Each mayor plants a tree during their term.

Here are some fun facts about each planted tree species:

Fern pine

• Native to Eastern Africa
• Not actually a fern or a pine, but it resembles both. It is an evergreen hardwood
• Drought tolerant and highly resistant to smog
• Has bright, slender, green leaves that cluster around each branch, giving the tree a uniquely robust and almost “fluffy” appearance
• Grows a dense crown good for screening

Trident maple

• Native to Asia
• Small deciduous maple that grows to 25-35 feet tall. It is commonly planted beneath power lines due to its short stature.
• Tolerant of wind, salt, drought, air pollution, and soil compaction
• The leaves have three forward-facing lobes resembling a trident
• Used often in bonsai gardening

Red maple

• Native to the eastern deciduous forests of the US
• Named for its red flowers, red fruit, red twigs, and brilliant red fall foliage
• Establishes easily and grows quickly
• The sap of the red maple tree is used to make syrup, even though this syrup is not as famous or sweet as the sugar maple syrup.

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

Speaking of tree plantings, the City is in the early stages of applying for a grant to create an Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP), which will serve as a long-term roadmap for the City to proactively and effectively maintain long-term benefits from the community’s tree canopy. For more details, visit the City’s UFMP webpage.