BONNERS FERRY — Boundary County celebrated Arbor Day on April 27 with booths set up outside of Super 1 Foods that held a plethora of information about trees, with free stickers, pencils, and seedlings being handed out to encourage residents to plant trees.

Trees affect our environment exponentially. They assist with keeping the air clean and providing increased oxygen levels, the leaves or needles that they shed help keep the soil healthy, they provide shade, which in turn keeps their surrounding area cooler and less water evaporates from the ground, and among many other beneficial qualities, they increase the scenery.

Arbor Day was implemented to educate people about the importance of trees in local communities and helps encourage people to plant trees.

Boundary Soil Conservation District utilized their educational booth to provide attendees with information both verbally and in writing, as well as handing out seedling trees for local residents to plant and care for.

Idaho Department of Lands had a booth set up at Super 1 Foods and their focus was to provide the public with information and services to educate about the importance of keeping trees trimmed, healthy, and free of insect infestations and diseases.

Trees in our county also provide income, not only for loggers and logging companies, but for our local schools as well. With 87,600 acres of endowment land between Boundary and Bonner counties, and 26 million board feet of timber sold over the fiscal year (July 1 — June 30), the schools in Boundary County have received $183,498.94 from them.

Being knowledgeable about keeping forests clean also assists in keeping fire hazards at a minimum, and keeping diseases and insect infestations at bay.

The University of Idaho Extension also had a booth, providing classes that teach residents various ways to be knowledgeable about, not only the surrounding forests, but the many things in them. They offer classes that teach mushroom identification, tree identification, thinning and pruning, protecting pollinators, and classes that teach gardening and cooking as well. These classes are available locally and they range from free to $20 per class.

Boundary County 4-H were also there to encourage families to participate in any of the various activities that are available, including educational days targeted to children and held at the Boundary County Fairgrounds.

For more information, visit www.idl.idaho.gov/ for the Idaho Department of Lands, for the University of Idaho Extension, call 208-267-3235 or email boundary@uidaho.edu, and for 4-H, visit www.4honline.com, or call the Extension office number listed above.