Arbor Day plans set

By John Miller, 03/17/23 11:14 AM

PRESCOTT – Each year, the city of Prescott participates  in an Arbor Day event.

This year’s event a tree planting at the walking trail, by the Nevada County Health Unit, will be done on March 17. Prescott Mayor Terry Oliver, along with Tara Carlton, administrative assistant at the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office, signed a proclamation declaring March 17 in honor of Arbor Day.

Carlton said the idea of this is planting trees helps beautify Prescott, and help recognize logging as an important part of the county’s economy. Trees also help increase property values.

Mary Godwin, EDO director, chimed in saying Prescott is a tree city and the program  is to enhance the city. The idea is also to make people aware of the importance of trees. A live oak will be planted, donated by the Arkansas Forestry Service.

A few tree statistics. The net cooling effect of a healthy young tree is equivalent to 10 room-size air conditioners operating  20 hours a day; landscaping with trees can increase property value as much as 20 percent; the planting of trees improves water quality, resulting in less runoff and erosion, which allows the recharging of ground water supplies. In laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension.