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42 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | APRIL 2020 | The planting of a tree is a modest form of immortality and one of the few truly long-term expressions of hope to mortal human beings." ~ Voltaire The Garden Club's general meeting for April has been canceled due to concerns with the coronavirus. April's guest speaker was scheduled to be James Rowland MPA Recycling Specialists Riverside County Department of Waste Resources. He was to speak about Earth Day's 50 year anniversary on April 22, 2020. Plant a tree, plant a tree so the next generation can get air for free. As we are aware trees and forests are extremely important for providing oxygen, homes, and resources to animals, which includes us. Deforestation contributes to greenhouse gases, with an estimated 15 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions due to the fires and cutting of trees. Trees help the ground store precious water, protect against soil erosions, and add to the scenic beauty of the national forests. Planting a single tree has benefits for people and wildlife. The national forests in California cover some 20 million acres, or about 1/5 of the state. This is equal to an area just slightly larger than the state of South Carolina, stretching from the Mexican border to Oregon. These areas of great beauty and majestic stature are plagued by devastating problems, such as natural and man-caused fire, pests and disease causing depletion and destruction of the national forests in California. The USDA San Bernardino National Forest has a program called Penny Pines Restoration Program. In time some land may recover naturally, however the Penny Pines program provides a helping hand through donations; it is a conservation program in which everyone can participate. The Sun Lakes Garden Club is a proud sponsor of Penny Pines and began donating for the replanting of new forests in 1993. The year to date donations to this program- $32,982, that's 473 acres of new trees! That's a lot of dollars in the watering cans! (The Penny Pines Program has a minimum donation of $68, as they determined the cost of a sapling is approximately one cent. The $68 donation equals 680 seedlings and 10 acres of planted seedlings.) So when the watering can comes around and you put your dollar into it, know that you are doing your part in bringing new life into our National Forest. The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Remember, you don't have to be a gardener to join! Come and visit anytime and see what we are all about. For membership contact: Sherry Case at (951) 533-3584 or Linda Powers at (951) 769-3101. For fruit harvesting contact Judy Garth at (951) 797-3130. For general information contact President, Pam Mikkelsen at (951) 797- 3080. Please support the Garden Club by purchasing See's Candy gift certificates from Maureen Keeney at (951) 797-0011 or Janie Haughn at (909) 556-0577. Happy gardening. Garden Club