PIEDMONT >> The city is planning a slate of activities to celebrate Arbor Day, from a tree raffle to a documentary about how trees communicate.

With about 7,000 street trees in the small enclave of Piedmont, there is much to celebrate. The heritage tree program was begun in 2018 on the Piedmont Park Commission’s recommendation. Arbor Day nationally occurs on April 29 this year, with cities all over the country celebrating the majesty of trees and how they enhance our environment.

Piedmont’s events will “underscore the important benefits that trees and the greater urban forest make to our community, such as clean air and carbon sequestration, plus the wildlife benefits and improved storm water control,” said Nancy Kent, the Piedmont Public Works Department’s parks and project manager.

The city’s activities will kick off with chalk art April 25-29. Young artists will select their favorite street tree or tree in a park next to the sidewalk and decorate the sidewalk with chalk art next to the tree. They’ll each then take a photo of themselves, their chalk art and tree and submit the photos to Kent via email at nkent@piedmont.ca.gov. Winners will receive a gift certificate to Fentons Creamery on Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue.

There will be four trees in parks designated as Gratitude Trees. During the week of April 25-29, park visitors, students and participants in the Piedmont Recreation Department’s preschool classes and Schoolmates program are invited to stop by and write their messages on tags provided on each tree. The trees will be in Piedmont Park and Dracena, Crocker and Linda parks. They will be identified by barricades and signage.

Heritage tree winners will be announced at 8 p.m. April 28 at Piedmont Community Hall. There will be a tree raffle before the free 8:30 p.m. movie in the park, which features a documentary on how trees communicate. Cub Scout volunteers will pass out raffle tickets before the movie, and two winners will receive a 15-gallon tree to take home and plant in their gardens. Devil Mountain Nursery has donated two cercis (eastern redbud) trees. Help will be available to plant the trees in the winners’ gardens.

There also will be a display of tree equipment from the Public Works Department at Community Hall, where staff can answer questions. Get some free popcorn at the hall before the movie, compliments of the Piedmont Garden Club.

There were 10 nominations for heritage trees this year. The winners are a deodar cedar in the traffic circle at Alta and Scenic avenues; a northern catalpa in front of 46 Nace Ave.; autumn blaze maples on the 400 block of Wildwood Avenue; and a melaleuca near the Linda Beach tennis courts. Nineteen trees have been designated as heritage trees since the program’s inception, Kent said.

Piedmont’s program was created to identify special and distinctive trees that are noteworthy for their size, being of a unique species, prominent location or historical context in parks and open spaces. The program is also meant to promote the study of nature in trees in Piedmont’s public parks, streets and medians.

“In 2021, Piedmont Connect won a heritage tree designation for a grand native California bay laurel tree in Moraga Canyon’s Blair Park,” said Hope Salzer, of Piedmont Connect, an environmental and education organization. “This year, Piedmont Connect’s heritage tree nomination was awarded to a stately deodar cedar which stands in a traffic island at the intersection of Alta and Scenic avenues.

“Each of the trees in Piedmont’s heritage tree collection is worth visiting, particularly the native trees, which are of such critical importance for preserving biodiversity as climate disruptions escalate.

“(It’s important) to build understanding about the importance of preserving established native landscapes and maintaining a robust urban forest,” Salzer said.

Arbor Day literally translates to “tree” day from the Latin origin of the word arbor. According to history.com, Arbor Day’s origins date back to the early 1870s in Nebraska City, Neb., where Julius Morton and his wife Caroline bought 160 acres of land and planted a wide variety of trees on a desolate plain. Publishing the state’s first newspaper, the Nebraska City News, Morton promoted the importance of trees to his readers.

In 1872, he proposed a day that would encourage all Nebraskans to plant trees. On April 10, 1872, the first Arbor Day was held. According to accounts, Morton’s promotion resulted in 1 million trees being planted that year. Morton is considered the “Father of Arbor Day.” Arbor Day took root, and in 1970 it became recognized nationwide under President Richard Nixon. The national observance falls on the last Friday in April.

Linda Davis is a longtime Piedmont correspondent. Contact her with news tips or comments at dlinda249@gmail.com.