AMHERST — Late town manager John Musante will be honored with a memorial tree on the Town Common as part of a series of events celebrating Arbor Month in Amherst.

The recognition for Musante, who died in 2015, is a way to recognize him for support of the activities of the Public Shade Tree Committee, said committee Chairman Henry Lappen.

Musante endorsed tree initiatives, including a three-year, $600,000 plan to plant 2,000 new public shade trees that was approved by Town Meeting.

The memorial tree planting is scheduled for noon on Thursday, April 13. Doing it on a weekday ensures municipal employees who worked with Musante will be able to attend, Lappen said.

As part of Arbor Month, on Saturday, Tree Warden Alan Snow and committee members will be doing a Second Saturday Tree Planting. The focus will be in front of the Jones Library, 43 Amity St., from 9 a.m. to noon. All trees and materials are provided, but the public can bring shovels.

The Jones Library last year lost a prominent tree to make way for sidewalk and crosswalk improvements.

The annual Sustainability Festival will be held on the Town Common April 22, with the committee’s booth providing sweetgum trees and information about the committee. Lappen said there will also be family-friendly quizzes about trees.

The month’s activities conclude April 29, when students at the Stockbridge School at the University of Massachusetts compete in the Mass Arborist Association’s Arbor Day of Service by climbing and pruning trees in Kendrick Park from 8 a.m. to noon.

The Select Board recently issued a proclamation making April Arbor Month and urged “all citizens to support efforts to protect our trees and woodlands and to support our town’s urban forestry program.”

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.

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