Arbor Day

In the Louisiana parish that was home to generations of my family, people lived hard lives as field hands or sharecroppers, laboring from "can see in the morning" to "can't see at night. " They hoed and picked cotton, corn, peas and other crops; they understood the planting cycle; they ate locally grown fruits and vegetables without ever visiting a supermarket. Long before the terms "eco-friendly" and "environmentalism" came into vogue, generations of Americans embraced the principles of recycle, reuse, reduce without ever naming them.

In the Louisiana parish that was home to generations of my family, people lived hard lives as field hands or sharecroppers, laboring from "can see in the morning" to "can't see at night. " They hoed and picked cotton, corn, peas and other crops; they understood the planting cycle; they ate locally grown fruits and vegetables without ever visiting a supermarket. Long before the terms "eco-friendly" and "environmentalism" came into vogue, generations of Americans embraced the principles of recycle, reuse, reduce without ever naming them.

Simi Valley will hold an Arbor Day celebration and program from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the City Hall Gazebo, 2929 Tapo Canyon Road. The City Council has designated October as "Green is Good" Arbor Month in Simi Valley. At Saturday's event, people may attend a training and educational program on the health and care of trees in an urban community. The program will kick off with a ceremonial tree planting.

The Jewish holiday Tu B'Shevat is a celebration of the bounty of nature, usually commemorated by eating fruit and planting trees. But members of Valley Beth Israel, a Sun Valley Conservative synagogue, added a new tradition Sunday, distributing fruit trees to dozens of families from the surrounding community in a symbol of sharing that they hope will bear fruit for years to come. About 80 families -- enrolled in the Roscoe Canyon Child Care Resource Center, which operates a Head Start program in facilities it leases from the temple -- signed up to receive apple, orange, apricot, peach and nectarine trees, which were donated by Tree- People, a nonprofit environmental group.

Volunteers on Saturday will plant 10 trees at George B. Miller Elementary School in observance of Arbor Day. La Palma residents and businesses gave $1,000 toward the purchase of the ash, ficus, camphor evergreen, pear and carrot wood. This is the city's 12th annual Arbor Day celebration. The event begins at 10 a.m. at the school, 7751 Furman Road. Volunteers should dress in work clothes. Information: (714) 522-6740.

Oxnard has been selected as a Tree City USA for the 14th year and will host a tribute to trees in an Arbor Day celebration today. A Tree City USA designation recognizes those communities that effectively manage their public tree resources. Such cities must observe Arbor Day, spend at least $2 per capita on their annual forestry plans--which must be written--and have a board or department responsible for tree management.

The rain-delayed Arbor Day celebration at Cleveland High School in Reseda will be held Saturday. Student volunteers in a group called the Interact Club received $5,000 worth of plants, trees and gardening equipment to beautify their campus. The event marking the annual spring tree-planting day--observed today throughout California--was originally scheduled for last weekend. The planting will begin at 11 a.m. The plants will replace those that died on campus as a result of broken sprinklers.

When your city is named for a type of tree, Thousand Oaks Councilwoman Linda Parks believes you should take Arbor Day extra seriously. Parks will ask her City Council colleagues tonight to consider creating a special Arbor Day event paying homage to--could it be any other?--the oak.

Named a "Tree City USA" 16 years in a row, Burbank is honoring Arbor Day with three tree-planting events planned for March. The Burbank School District is holding Environmental Education Day on Tuesday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Roosevelt Elementary School. Fourth-graders will compete in a poster contest while fifth-graders will help plant trees, ground cover and shrubs. About 12 trees are to be planted along the perimeter of the school's athletic field, said Janice G.

Once the scene of angry protest by environmentalists, a 77-acre field filled with coastal sage, chaparral and live oak trees will instead be a symbol of rebirth Saturday as Mission Viejo celebrates its first Arbor Day. A coastal live oak, the city tree, will be planted in a ceremony that starts at 11 a.m. near the corner of Vista del Lago and Los Alisos Boulevard. The site was the center of controversy in 1990 when the landowner, the Mission Viejo Co.

ONLY a blockhead can fail to recognize the importance of trees. Or perhaps, since a blockhead's thinking organ is presumably made of wood, even a blockhead might realize how essential trees are to our planet, our species and all of the other species upon it. For most of human history, trees were our primary source of fuel and wood one of our most essential building materials.

An Arbor/Earth Day celebration will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 22 at the Civic Arts Plaza Park. More than 100 exhibitors and vendors will offer arts and crafts, workshops, book sales, slide shows and a "Thrift Store Alley" with one-of-a-kind items. A Chumash tree blessing ceremony will be held at noon. For more information on the free event, call Jana Covell at 449-2117.

In honor of Arbor Day today, Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn displayed the first of about 5,000 shade trees Thursday that will be planted along Sepulveda Boulevard from Mission Hills to Harbor City. "This is not only going to beautify the area, but will help clean up air pollution and provide shade, which will help with energy conservation," Hahn told residents and city officials gathered along a median in Van Nuys, where 27 purple leaf plum trees were planted.

Girl Scout Troop No. 745 will host its second annual Camarillo Arbor Day celebration Saturday at Valle Lindo Park. The tree-planting event will include children's activities, displays, giveaways and information booths. The Sheriff's Department will offer to fingerprint children. The event is co-sponsored by Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District. * Camarillo Arbor Day; Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Valle Lindo Park, 889 Aileen St., Camarillo. Free. 383-0548, Ext. 18.

Simi Valley will hold an Arbor Day celebration and program from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the City Hall Gazebo, 2929 Tapo Canyon Road. The City Council has designated October as "Green is Good" Arbor Month in Simi Valley. At Saturday's event, people may attend a training and educational program on the health and care of trees in an urban community. The program will kick off with a ceremonial tree planting.

A sycamore was planted last week in Cottonwood Park, the highlight of the inaugural Arbor Day celebration in Los Alamitos. Along with city officials, members of the Chamber of Commerce and the Parkway Tree Program took part in the event to commemorate Los Alamitos being named a Tree City USA--an honor bestowed on tree-friendly communities. The designation, granted by the National Arbor Day Foundation, was a first for the city and a priority of the Parkway program.

Schoolchildren throughout Orange County on Wednesday joined in celebrating Arbor Day by planting trees, as people have done for the last 108 years. But in these days of environmental awareness, Arbor Day is changing from a cute ritual to a day on which people are encouraged to take better care of the planet.

At Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Anaheim, children gathered Thursday morning to watch the planting of a 10-foot evergreen elm in honor of Arbor Day. As a sixth-grade class performed a skit about trees, a strong gust of wind toppled the newly planted elm, eliciting squeals from the assembled children. The tree was quickly set upright by city park workers. "This is intended to stimulate young minds, show them the importance of the environment.

City Maintenance Services Director Patrick McCarron spent Arbor Day on Friday teaching Arovista Elementary School fourth-graders how to plant and care for trees. Five trees were planted on campus in observation of the holiday. Students learned about the best way to pick out a spot to plant a tree, how to prune them and what kind of trees are native to the local landscape. Southern California Edison donated $200 to buy the trees and supplies for the lesson.

The Friends of Cypress Recreation and Parks Inc. will accept tree donations through April 14. All donors will be presented with a plaque at the April 24 City Council meeting in recognition of Arbor Day. Information: (714) 229-6780.