Morton Arboretum volunteers plant trees across Chicago to celebrate Arbor Day

LISLE, Ill. (WLS) -- Volunteers are feeding our planet's future, one tree at a time.

Saplings were added to the landscape in Chicago and across the country on Arbor Day.

People got their hands dirty Friday to give a little love to the environment.

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It's like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter, all rolled into one. Suffice to say, Arbor Day is a big day at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, not only for planting trees, but also raising money.

Biology students and volunteers from the Morton Arboretum planted trees to create a barrier between the highway and the Chicago State University campus. They planned the event for Arbor Day, but it is a year-round initiative in the city to increase the so-called tree canopy.

"They improve air quality, they reduce stormwater, they reduce heating and cooling costs," said Murphy Westwood the Morton Arboretum.

Environmentalists say Chicago ranks below the average nationally in the number of trees per square mile, and the city loses about 10,000 trees a year because of disease, pests and development.

The mission at the Morton Arboretum centers around trees. One of the biggest fundraisers of the year to support that mission is the annual plant sale going on this weekend. It is very popular.

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"We start looking for certain things, and then we get overwhelmed and buy everything," plant lover Veronica Day said. "So we have no agenda as it stands right now."

Many of the customers choose to buy their plants there because they trust the Arboretum as experts.

"We think it sounds official," plant lover Laura Scanlan said. "Thought we'd get the best expert advice from the Arboretum."

The Arboretum staff grows about 85% of the plants they sell there. They have a separate area on the grounds, devoted to growing plants.

"We actually grow plants year-round for the sale," said Mark Richardson with the Morton Arboretum. "We're already growing next year's crops in some cases. It's a big deal."

The plant sale runs through Saturday afternoon. Tickets to the event are free, and they can be found on the Morton Arboretum website.