Lafayette to plant 74 trees for Earth and Arbor days, local program promotes native plants

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The city of Lafayette will celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day in the last week of April with plans to plant a total of 74 trees around the city.

On at 10 a.m. Monday, April 22, Earth Day will be celebrated at Armstrong Park at 809 Beck Lane, with the planting of 15 trees by Subaru of Indiana Automotive volunteers, according to a news release. Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski also will read a proclamation to commemorate the annual day of educational celebration.

In celebration of Arbor Day, 59 trees will be planted beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 27 along 26th Street, according to the release. Roswarski will read a second proclamation to celebrate. Anyone interested in volunteering in the effort are encouraged to sign up and pre-register at treelafayette.org/arbor-day.

The continued initiative by the city to increase tree plantings in public spaces has earned the city of Lafayette the title of Tree City USA for the 32nd year in a row, according to the news release. In order to qualify for the award, a city must have a formed tree board or department, create a tree-care ordinance, have an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita and observe Arbor Day with a city proclamation.

For the seventh year in a row, the city of Lafayette was also presented the Tree City USA Growth Award by the Arbor Day Foundation, according to the release, honoring communities that demonstrate higher levels of tree care and community engagement throughout the year that help our urban forest grow and develop.

For the third year in a row, Lafayette was also recognized as a Tree City of the World, an international effort to recognize cities and towns committed to ensuring urban forests and trees are properly maintained, sustainably managed and duly celebrated, among other requirements.

“Lafayette is very proud to receive these three tree designation awards from the National Arbor Day Foundation after many months and years of work by so many individuals and groups,” Roswarski said in the release. “Through our work with the city forester, other city departments and community partners, I’m excited to announce that we have a goal to plant over 1,000 trees by 2028 in Lafayette that will play an integral part in the work of the Greater Lafayette Climate Action Plan. By working together, we can make Lafayette greener.”

Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation, said in the release that there are more benefits to an increase in trees in local communities than their beauty and added shade value.

“Everyone benefits when elected officials, volunteers and committed citizens in communitieslike Lafayette make smart investments in urban forests,” Lambe said.

There are opportunities for property owners to become involved in beautifying their property while working to eliminate harmful, invasive plant species from their land, explains Amanda Estes, storm water educator for the Tippecanoe County Partnership for Water Quality.

In partnership with the Wabash River Enhancement Corporation, the Tippecanoe County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Tippecanoe County Invasive Cooperative Task Force, Estes said for the third year in a row the Tippecanoe County Partnership for Water Quality is able to host an invasive plant swap program.

Targeting the removal of callery pear (or Bradford pear), burning bush, Japanese barberry, privets and Norway maples, Estes said the program offers Tippecanoe County residents the opportunity to have Lafayette or West Lafayette city foresters evaluate the invasive plant on their property with the goal of replacing the plant with a native species.

"You kind of have to think of these invasive plants as ecological bullies," Estes said. "People have to understand that these are harmful to our native plants, which support our local ecosystem and cause eco-pollution."

Homeowners and businesses are encouraged to submit applications for the Tippecanoe Invasive Cooperative Taskforce program by July 1 through the Google form available at tippecanoecountyswcd.org/tict-2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: How you can remove invasive plants from property in Tippecanoe County