Local fourth graders learn all about Arbor Day

HARTINGTON – Last Thursday, April 25, was Arbor Day in Hartington and it was celebrated with the fourth-graders from both Hartington schools each planting a tree.

This has been an annual event sponsored by the Hartington Tree Board in an effort to get young people more interested in trees, tree planting and caring for trees. It is a hands-on event with the kids all participating in planting a tree, naming their tree and agreeing to look after the tree for the years to come.

This year the Hartington-Newcastle school kids planted a Red Sunset Maple in front of the elementary school, and the Holy Trinity kids planted the same kind of maple in back of the Holy Trinity church. Thirty minutes were spent with each school, starting out with a brief introduction on the history of Arbor Day, followed up with a question to the kids on the benefits of trees. The kids mentioned the many benefits of trees including cleaning the air and helping to supply the oxygen we breathe, providing shade and wood for building and burning, making paper, providing food for humans, animals and birds and helping to beautify the community as well, as a number of other benefits.

The kids then participated in planting the tree by adding the soil, water and mulch and then each tree was named by the kids.

Hartington Tree Board Chairman Dan Kathol, along with Eastern Nebraska Forest Service Specialist Graham Herbst, hosted the event for both schools.

“I look forward to this annual Arbor Day event with the fourth graders in talking about trees and how to plant and care for them,” Kathol said. “We make it fun and hands-on, with the kids all getting a little dirt on their hands. Hopefully this experience encourages some of the kids to get more interested in trees as they grow older.”

All the kids were given a Blue Spruce tree seedling to take home and plant, complements of the Lewis and Clark Natural Resource District who has supplied tree seedlings each year for the students, with hopes that the kids plant the tree and care for it at their home or farm.

Arbor Day originated in Nebraska City in 1872 by Julius Sterling Morton who was the editor of the first Nebraska newspaper and a tree enthusiast. Through his work, he was able to get a resolution passed with the Nebraska Legislative to set aside the last Friday of April each year as Arbor Day, making it a legal holiday. On the first Arbor Day celebration in Nebraska, over one million trees were planted in Nebraska.

As the years progressed, each state in the United States adopted the Arbor Day holiday and the observation has spread to many countries around the world as well. In 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation was started and its influence has branched out across the globe. The Foundation has helped oversee and plant over 500 million trees since its inception and through the Foundation’s efforts, they are helping to enrich cities, towns, neighborhoods and forests in more than 50 countries. By empowering local communities with the knowledge to strengthen their natural resources, it is working to create a more sustainable future that trees can help provide.