Happy International Day of Forests, everyone!! 🌳🌳🌳💃🌳🌳🌳

Look: While we are ALL about making a big deal about forests all day, e-v-e-r-y dayyyyy, back in 2012 the United Nations declared March 21st as a day to officially honor all forests, and we will jump at ANY chance to talk about the lovely particulars of living here in what is our own urban forest, tucked in among all of the lush green that surrounds us.

Urban forests (yes, these are real things!) come in many different shapes and sizes but are defined at their core as the trees and green spaces collectively growing within a particular suburb, city, or town. So, this means that our own urban forest, for example, encompasses not only our trees—those in our yards, on our streets, in our parks and our gorgeous cemetery (even those in our parking lots!)—but also ALL of the grass and bushes and other plants that thrive in our landscaped parks, streets, and gardens as well as along our riverbanks and in other natural areas.

We celebrate our very own urban forest not just for its beauty (though we definitely celebrate it for its beauty 😍) but also for all of the ways it benefits Lewisburg’s human and animal communities. Urban forests are ecosystems that help to filter air and water, control storm surge, conserve energy, and provide animal habitat and shade. They reduce noise, cool our streets and homes, and encourage social connection and community cohesion. They also add economic value to the places we live and shop.

We hope you’ll join us today in honoring Lewisburg’s own urban forest, perhaps by spending some time outside admiring our early-blooming daffodils and hyacinths and cheering on our trees as their leaves are now so busily emerging from their buds after their winter dormancy. Oh, what a beautiful, bright green sight.

It IS still cold out there, though, friends, so don’t forget to wear your coats. 💚

#InternationalDayOfForests#UrbanForest#LewisburgPA#CentralPennsylvania