APS and Ash Fork Historical Society Team Up for Beautification Project

April 21, 2008

Flagstaff, AZ  -   Arbor Day is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees, and APS wants the Ash Fork and surrounding communities to get involved. On Thursday, April 24, APS and the Ash Fork Historical Society will be hosting a community tree planting demonstration at the Ash Fork Tourist Center.

Beginning at 11 a.m., this Arbor Day celebration will feature the planting of 15 trees by the APS Forestry department; hot dogs on the grill; and a natural history presentation by Liberty Wildlife about raptors of the Southwest. Raptors - or birds of prey - include eagles, hawks, falcons and owls, all of which rely on a healthy environment.

"Trees are important to a healthy environment," said Kent Bushman, APS forestry section leader. "They not only provide shelter for wildlife, but they help combat climate change by consuming carbon dioxide and producing oxygen."

And, according to Kent, trees can provide shade, promote comfort and reduce energy bills when they are planted in the right location.

Planting the right tree in the right place can improve the quality of life not only for the tree, but for customers as well. Trees and utility lines compete for overhead space along streets and in backyards. APS' goal is to allow trees and power lines to coexist through careful pruning of existing trees and by encouraging customers to plant trees that won't grow into lines when mature. 

APS has about 100 forestry employees statewide. These professionals help ensure trees do not grow into - or fall onto - more than 20,000 miles of transmission and distribution power lines statewide, preventing power disruptions and dangerous situations for APS employees and customers.

The Ash Fork beautification project will occur 136 years after the first Arbor Day, which took place in 1872, when more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska. Now a national holiday, Arbor Day events take place across the country. APS is encouraging customers to continue in this tradition while keeping one thing in mind, safety.

APS, Arizona's largest and longest-serving electric utility, serves about 1.1 million customers in 11 of the state's 15 counties. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE: PNW).

Cindy May
(928) 773-6416, office
(928) 853-6178, cell