Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Nature has a way of making things right, if we help it along." Marlo Byberg with his sugar maple.
Communities across North Dakota celebrate Arbor Day as a sure sign of Spring!
The state's official designated Arbor Day is the first Friday in May – but communities can celebrate Arbor Day whenever it is best for them. Cities with Tree City USA designation (54 communities scattered across North Dakota) must declare an annual Arbor Day event to maintain status as a Tree City. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day, first celebrated in Nebraska in 1872. Tree enthusiasts in North Dakota began celebrating Arbor Day a decade later, in 1882. The N.D. state legislature officially adopted Arbor Day in 1945 and in 1990, May was declared Arbor Month in North Dakota by gubernatorial proclamation.
Communities celebrate Arbor Day on different days and in different ways. As future stewards of our natural resources, it's great to involve students of all ages. Young students are particularly receptive and enthusiastic about trees! Getting kids involved is a "sneaky" way to get families involved. If your youngster comes home and talks about what they learned today in school, and announces that "today we learned about trees!" – that's a good sign of a future steward.
New Rockford has designated Friday, May 27 as Arbor Day for 2022. The city has earned distinction as a Tree City USA for 31 consecutive years, one of the longest-running North Dakota communities to do so. Within the next few weeks, the city will be contacting residents who have signed up to "adopt" a tree, plant it, and care for it in their front yard. This effort is made possible, once again, through a tree planting grant from the N.D. Forest Service. Contact City Hall at 701-947-2461 and talk to Becki if you are interested in a tree! While the trees are distributed at no monetary cost to property owners, you must commit to properly planting and caring for it. It is going to take years to recover the number of trees lost throughout the city in the July 2018 storm, but it can happen, one tree at a time – with the good stewards living in New Rockford.
