Puget Sound Energy to donate trees to Tree City USA cities in recognition of last winter's severe storm season and Arbor Day
Employee volunteers involved in other tree-planting activities this month
Who
Puget Sound Energy (PSE), a seven-year Tree Line USA award recipient, has pledged to donate a tree to every Tree City USA city in its service area in recognition of last winter's severe storm season and their Arbor Day awards. In addition, PSE, for the third consecutive year, is sponsoring the state's Arbor Day Poster Contest for fifth-grade pupils, and employee volunteers are participating in various community activities in April to celebrate Arbor Day and demonstrate the company's long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship and neighborhood enhancements. As part of its $10 million annual program to prune or remove trees along power-line corridors, PSE devotes approximately $500,000 each year replanting trees in urban areas.
What
Tree-Planting Projects
Burlington – (10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, April 10) PSE, in conjunction with the Skagit County Parks and Recreation Department, will plant approximately 200 PSE-donated trees and shrubs along a public walking trail near the junction of State Route 20 and Lafayette Road; a luncheon celebration will follow in Maiben Park.
Olympia – (1 p.m. Saturday, April 21) PSE will join Olympia Mayor Mark Foutch, state Public Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland, South Puget Sound legislators, and others in Arbor Day awards ceremonies and tree planting at Sylvester Park. During the event, Olympia will receive its 14th Tree City USA award from the National Arbor Day Foundation.
Tree Donations
All cities in PSE's 11-county service area that are receiving a 2007 Tree City USA award from the National Arbor Day Foundation will receive a free, plantable tree of their choosing from PSE in recognition of last year's severe storm season and their Arbor Day award. Steve Reynolds, chairman, president and CEO of PSE, is sending letters this month to the mayors to congratulate them on being a Tree City USA city and make the tree offer. PSE's managers of local government and community relations will work with the cities to get the trees in the ground.
Tree Line USA
On April 17 in Las Vegas, PSE will receive its seventh consecutive Tree Line USA award from the National Arbor Day Foundation. Public Lands Commissioner Sutherland will present the state Tree Line USA award to PSE on April 21 during the Olympia Arbor Day event. The Tree Line USA award recognizes PSE's efforts, as a utility, to protect and enhance urban forests while ensuring reliable energy service.
Arbor Day Posters
For the third consecutive year, PSE is sponsoring Washington state's Arbor Day Poster Contest for fifth-grade pupils. Various local art museums, including in Bellevue and Olympia, are displaying contestants' posters.
About Puget Sound Energy
Washington state's oldest and largest energy utility, with a 6,000-square-mile service territory stretching across 11 counties, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) serves more than 1 million electric customers and 713,000 natural gas customers, primarily in the Puget Sound region of Western Washington. A subsidiary of Puget Energy (NYSE: PSD), PSE meets the energy needs of its growing customer base through incremental, cost-effective energy conservation, low-cost procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure.