Otoe County Extension Office Tree Planting - The Gift of Trees

Otoe County Extension Office Tree Planting - The Gift of Trees

October 24, 2022 - 3:30pm to 4:00pm

In celebration of 150 years of Arbor Day and 50 years of Nebraska Natural Resources Districts, Nebraska City Tourism & Commerce has partnered with various NRDs throughout the state to gift a tree to every county over the course of the next year.
“On the first Arbor Day in 1872, one million trees were planted across Nebraska,” said Tammy Partsch, Tourism & Promotions Coordinator for Nebraska City Tourism & Commerce. “Those early citizens saw the value of the new tree planting holiday and it’s time Nebraska City, as the home of Arbor Day Founder J. Sterling Morton, thanks them for that.”
The partnership, called The Gift of Trees, includes the Nemaha Natural Resources District with tree plantings in Johnson, Nemaha, Otoe, Pawnee, and Richardson Counties during the last weeks of October 2022.
To kick off the project in this area, a red maple will be planted at the Nemaha NRD Headquarters east of Tecumseh on Highway 136 at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, October 14.
A sugar maple will be planted at the Pawnee County Courthouse in Pawnee City on Monday, October 24, at 9 a.m. At 11 a.m. that day, a bald cypress will be planted at Peru State College, representing Nemaha County, a catalpa tree will be planted at the Otoe County Extension Office in Syracuse at 3:30 pm that day. On Tuesday, October 25, at 9 a.m., a sugar maple will be planted at the Johnson County Courthouse in Tecumseh. The plantings in Otoe and Richardson Counties are still being scheduled. All tree plantings are open to the public.
“Community forests in Nebraska face a variety of challenges that can lead to their decline,” said Ashley Rippe, Information, Education, and Grants Coordinator for the Nemaha NRD. “The high-quality trees we are planting in each of the counties are selected and provided by the Nebraska Forest Service and the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum to increase diversity and resilience. Community plantings provide aesthetic benefits and educational opportunities for our citizens to connect with nature. These trees truly are a multi-generational gift. We are so excited to be a part of this partnership.”
Representatives from Nebraska City have been traveling Nebraska throughout this fall and will continue to do so into next spring to continue this statewide tree planting project. They hope to reach all 93 counties by next fall.
The Gift of Trees project is supported by the Friends of Arbor Lodge Foundation, the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, and the Nebraska Forest Service.