by Dan Katz
Answer: SINGLES BARKS
Answers Used
  • ALBERT EINSTEIN
  • CHASE UTLEY
  • IDA TARBELL
  • OWEN TEALE
  • RANSOM OLDS
  • URIEL JONES
  • BIG CRUNCH
  • FRASIER
  • OBLIVIATE
  • PINK ROSE
  • POLESTAR
  • SUPERJUICE

Each of the Arbor Day answers is the name of a type of tree with four additional letters inserted:

  • BIG CRUNCH → BIRCH + GCUN
  • FRASIER → FIR + RASE
  • OBLIVIATE → OLIVE + BIAT
  • POLESTAR → PEAR + OLST
  • PINK ROSE → PINE + KROS
  • SUPERJUICE → SPRUCE + UEJI

These four letters represent two pairs of initials that have been carved into the tree (the behavior the Arbor Day Town residents find offensive). Each of the Valentine’s Day answers is a famous person that fits the description of the person loved in one of the “carvings,” and whose initials only appear (in the correct order) in one of the strings of four carved letters, leaving two letters as the other initials.

The number of X’s and the number of O’s written on each carving constitute a full set of numbers from 1 to 12, thus assigning one of these numbers to each of the two remaining letters (number of X’s then number of O’s, since the X’s always appear first). Placing these remaining letters in order from 1 to 12 reveals the answer, SINGLES BARKS (apparently there are specific trees elsewhere that are zoned for this sort of thing).

HeartX’sO’sAnswerInitial SetRemaining Letters
Actor512OWEN TEALEOLST − OT = LSL=5, S=12
Athlete43CHASE UTLEYGCUN − CU = GNG=4, N=3
Businessman117RANSOM OLDSKROS − RO = KSK=11, S=7
Journalist89IDA TARBELLBIAT − IT = BAB=8, A=9
Musician62URIEL JONESUEJI − UJ = EIE=6, I=2
Scientist101ALBERT EINSTEINRASE − AE = RSR=10, S=1
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SINGLESBARKS