Continuing the tree planting tradition

Montana celebrated its 124th Arbor Day last week. To continue the tradition of planting trees on Arbor Day, Nicole Camel brought a class of sixteen eighth graders from Polson Middle School to the Polson Skate Park, ready for shovel duty.   

Polson City’s Parks and Tree Board sponsored the event, and the city’s excavator had already dug the biggest holes. Johnny Campbell from Delaney’s Landscape Center volunteered to attend Arbor Day and speak to the kids, as he does each year.  

Campbell explained that Arbor Day began in Nebraska in 1872. A Nebraska journalist, J. Sterling Morton, proposed the idea because Nebraska, a treeless prairie state, needed trees. Campbell fired up citizens, so they came out on April 10, 1872, and planted a million trees.  

“Every single state has an Arbor Day,” Campbell said, but each state has its own date. 

Campbell asked the students what trees do for humans. The answers ranged from providing oxygen, fruit, preventing erosion, beauty, firewood, and shade. He added that trees provide habitat and food for birds “with the berries they produce and places to nest,” deer, and many other animals. He also added that trees produce wood for building houses. 

Several years ago, a girl gave an answer to Campbell’s question about trees; he hadn’t heard it before or since.  

She said, “Trees sequester carbon.” 

“That means trees take carbon dioxide out of the air (releasing oxygen) and store it in their wood,” Campbell said. “That’s the word of the day — sequester.” 

The main reason for planting these trees is to provide shade for the skater guys and girls, he said. 

“You can come back in 10 years and say ’Hey, I planted that tree,”’ Campbell said. 

Camel added that students who had planted trees in years past named their trees.  

This year, Gabe, a PMS skater kid, wanted a tree planted on the north side of the park, so the landscape crew named that tree Gabe  

Then the kids set out in four groups, added some fill at the bottom of the hole, and, with the help of Steve Vert, PPTB member, and Campbell, transplanted the trees from the pots into the excavated hole, shoveled the fill back into it and saved the grassy chunks for the top. Campbell said they would water the trees well later and then add more soil if needed.  

Polson Mayor Laura Dever, PPTB members, and representatives from the Polson Volunteer Fire Department were all on present to celebrate the trees 

“These honey locusts should live to be 100 years old,” Campbell said, making a large circle with his arms to estimate their circumference.