Spruce Up Austin, Inc. plans to plant — What else? — trees.

The organization is celebrating 20 years of community betterment efforts in 2009 and directors plan to enhance the cityscape with tree plantings.

At a monthly meeting Thursday morning at the Town Center, directors approved planting 20 trees Saturday, April 25, Austin Community Pride Day.

On Friday, April 24, Arbor Day, the organization’s 20th anniversary supplement to the Austin Daily Herald will be published. The newspaper has partnered with SUA, Inc. in its community betterment efforts for the last 20 years.

The 20 trees will be planted near the South Main Street and Eighth Avenue Southeast intersection where the new Rotary Centennial Park is located.

Volunteers will be asked to assemble at the site beginning at 9 a.m. April 25.

No public volunteers will be needed for this project, because of the Austin Community Pride Day events going on elsewhere in the city.

The holes will be dug and a 6-foot diameter area of sod cut out to allow for mulching.

After the tree plantings, the volunteers will clean-up the area, including Marcusen Park, Austin Community Bandshell Park and a portion of the walking pathways along the Cedar River.

Eight spruce and 12 deciduous trees will be planted April 25.

SUA, Inc.’s first project occurred in 1990, when six trees were planted in the traffic median along West Oakland Avenue and Sterling Shopping Center.

To date, the organization’s volunteers have planted 2,438 trees on public properties in Austin with an estimated value of $383,347 to the community.

In 2008, SUA, Inc. volunteers planted 37 trees on public properties with an estimated total value to the city of $9,000.

Also Thursday morning, the directors approved helping fund the Austin Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department’s boulevard tree-replanting efforts.

Due to city budget cuts, the Austin Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department cannot replace boulevard trees this year. There are 53 property owners waiting to have boulevard trees replaced after they were removed due to over-growth into the Austin Utilities powerlines.

Directors reported 41 people attended a recent SUA, Inc. free spring seminar on rain gardens.

It was the largest crowd ever for the annual spring seminar effort.

The organization’s volunteer list is being updated. Volunteers are asked to call or e-mail SUA, Inc. (via the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce) to verify their status as a volunteer and what types of projects they want to assist.

Also, SUA, Inc. directors were asked to canvass the city for nominees for the annual Yard of the Month recognition program.

The nominees will be considered at the organization’s May monthly meeting.