The following is written by Sumner Mayor Dave Enslow:

Arbor Day is coming up on April 29, and the State of Washington just visited our City Council meeting to help celebrate Sumner’s 22nd year as a Tree City USA, a designation received through the Arbor Day Foundation.

There are a lot of great statistics about how a city’s commitment to planting trees and being a Tree City increases property values and decreases energy consumption. There are a bunch of statistics online, but it’s more fun to point out just how nice they make Sumner look.  When the cherry trees bloomed along Wood Avenue and framed Mount Rainier about a month ago, a normal street suddenly became spectacular.  If you get a moment on these unusually warm days, sit on a bench in Loyalty Park and look up at those big old trees. Soon, the distinct yellow chain trees on Thompson will bloom.

Thank you to our Parks & Forestry Commission, our Parks staff, all the volunteers who help plant trees each year, and all our property owners who plant and care for trees.  You’re really making Sumner look beautiful in all four seasons.

If you’d like to help this year, we’ll be planting trees at the cemetery on Saturday, May 7.  Last I heard, we’re a couple of volunteers short, so if you’d like to join in and maybe teach your kids, or grandkids, the importance of planting trees, contact Dan Gates in the Parks Department.