With Earth Day this Friday, followed soon thereafter by Arbor Day, it is time to focus on trees, on campus and at the Morris Arboretum, and everywhere from here to there.

The Penn community is invited to celebrate Earth Day, April 22, at 11:30 a.m., on College Green between the north side of Claudia Cohen Hall and the LOVE statue. Through a partnership with FRES and the Morris Arboretum, Penn will host a ceremonial tree planting of a Prunus ‘Helen Taft’ flowering cherry tree in recognition of Penn’s 7th year being named a Tree Campus USA. 

The ‘Helen Taft’ tree is named for former First Lady Helen Taft to commemorate the 100th anniversary in 2012 of the Japanese gift of cherry trees that now are a celebrated landmark of the nation’s capital. Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Iwa Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two of the cherry trees at the Tidal Basin in DC in a ceremony on March 27, 1912.

Participants in Friday’s ceremony will include Penn’s Vice President of Facilities & Real Estate Services Anne Papageorge; University Landscape Architect Bob Lundgren and the Morris Arboretum’s Director of Horticulture and Curator Tony Aiello.