Medina observes a belated Arbor Day
Provided photo: Members of Medina’s Tree Board and village officials planted a tree in State Street Park on Thursday morning, in honor of Arbor Day. From left are Tree Board member Jake Hebdon, Medina trustee and Tree Board/village liaison Marguerite Sherman, Tree Board member Nick Mroz, Tree Board Chairwoman Kathy Blackburn, Medina Mayor Mike Sidari and Tree Board member Bob Sanderson.
MEDINA – Arbor Day began in 1872 when J. Sterling Morton proposed to the Nebraska Board of Agriculture that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees.
Arbor Day is traditionally celebrated in April, but because of Covid-19, the day was postponed this year to Nov. 5.
Usually, a celebration of Arbor Day takes place with school children in Medina, but again, the pandemic forced the village to change those plans.
On Thursday, village officials and members of the Tree Board gathered to plant a tree in State Street Park, near the bandstand.
“Medina is designated as a Tree City USA, and with our continued plan to assess and replace trees within the village, we will continue to build a better urban development,” said Kathy Blackburn, the Tree Board chairwoman.
As a Tree City USA, a city or village has the duty to evaluate trees which should come down, decide where new trees will be planted and choose the species.
Arbor Day is now observed throughout the nation and the world. Trees can reduce the erosion of soil by wind and water, cut heating and cooling costs, moderate the temperature, clean the air, produce life-giving oxygen and provide habitat for wildlife.
The Arbor Day Foundation is one of the world’s largest nonprofit conservation organizations dedicated to planting trees. The Foundation plants and distributes more than 10 million trees each year. More than 3,300 communities, such as Medina, are recognized through the Tree City USA program for planting and nurturing trees.
Members of Medina’s Tree Board, with Blackburn, are Jake Hebdon, Nick Mroz and Bob Sanderson. Marguerite Sherman, village trustee, is a tree board/village liaison.
Blackburn added volunteers for the Tree Board are always welcome.
