Trees can make a community an attractive place to live, while also providing many benefits.  When trees are planted they help reduce energy cost, absorb sounds of traffic, improving mental and physical health, can keep your house cooler and help absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.  The Harrodsburg Tree Board has worked hard to be recognized as an Official Tree City for the last 10 years through the Arbor Day Foundation. Qualifications to be a tree city require a community to form a tree board, establish a tree care ordinance, maintain a community forestry program, and have an Arbor Day celebration.

The Harrodsburg Tree Board has participated in the KU LG&E plant for the planet grant for the last 5 years. This grant focuses on planting over one billion trees a year and planting in trees in the right places. In the last 5 years the tree board has received this grant, they have planted over 300 trees in the city of Harrodsburg. The Mercer County Horticulture agent assisted with this project by helping select native trees that were appropriate for their planting locations.

As a part of the tree city program the Horticulture Agent incorporated the Arbor Day celebration with Extension Office’s annual Earth Day celebration. Every 5^th grader in the county who attended participated in the tree planting celebration. Each child helped by mulching and watering the newly planted tree. Tree board members shared information on why trees were important, along with local elected officials who talked about the benefits of planting trees in our city.