L to R: Becky Heise, Sharon Buhr and Dr. Bob Anderson, Valley City Forester.

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Image and Beautification Committee of Valley City is inviting anyone interested in planting and caring for trees to join them.

The volunteer committee writes grants to plant trees, as well as invites citizens to donate trees or funds to purchase trees for public property in Valley City. Then it takes the responsibility of caring for those trees as they grow. Trees are valuable to us, providing shade which lowers our energy/air conditioning bills in summer. On the global end of the spectrum, trees take up carbon dioxide to help reduce climate change.

Spokeswoman Sharon Buhr said a recent article mentioned that dozens of companies have committed to planting and protecting trees and hope to increase the world’s tree supply by one-third in a Trillion Trees Campaign by 2030. Adding 1.2 trillion trees would absorb the equivalent of 10 years of carbon emissions.

This year Dr. Bob Anderson, city forester, has written two tree grants on behalf of the city and VCSU to plant a variety of trees in Valley City. The goal is variety, so if a tree disease comes through such as Dutch Elm Disease, it won’t wipe out all the trees. The latest disease that is creeping closer is the Emerald Ash Borer which at this time has been found in Moorhead.

If you are interested in planting and caring for trees in our town, contact Sharon Buhr, chair of the Image Committee, at 840-0973.