Arbor Day event honors tree projects

A small crowd gathered in Klaus Park Wednesday to recognize the tree-related work of several community members and plant three young trees while celebrating Arbor Day.

“It’s very heartening to see an active interest in renewing the environment because we live in a very harsh place in North Dakota,” said Roy Sheppard, a member of the Shade Tree Committee since 1983. “Trees are not something that we have an overabundance of.”

Sheppard praised the work of the three young people recognized for tree-related work locally over the past year.

As part of his Eagle project for Boy Scouts, Jaden Horsted led the planting of 375 trees and shrubs on the north slope of Frontier Village, organizing friends, family and Scouts to help with the work.

Alex Igl’s Eagle project involved the planting of 150 amber maple trees in Centennial Forest, as part of a buffalo-shaped formation.

Ethan Bowman developed a hydroponic watering system as part of the Marketplace for Kids program.

Also at the ceremony, James Trautman was named winner of the Johnny Appleseed Award for his contribution. Trautman planted 23 miles of trees in rural Jamestown, said Vern Quam, city forester.

Jamestown received the Tree City USA designation again this year, for the 32nd year in a row.

In order to become a Tree City, a community must spend $2 per capita on trees and forestry, pass forestry ordinances, have a tree board (such as Jamestown’s Shade Tree Committee) and recognize Arbor Day.

Jamestown Mayor Katie Andersen proclaimed the day Arbor Day for the Jamestown community.

“(Trees) improve our air quality. The other piece that trees provide is wind protection and shade, sun protection,” Andersen said, speaking of the importance of keeping the urban forest healthy.

Several audience members joined together to help Quam plant three trees in an area of Klaus Park where several large elm trees have died.

One of the new trees is a golden harvest Mongolian linden tree, which will have a fragrant, sweet smell. The other trees are varieties of elm trees — a cathedral elm and a triumph elm — and are bred to resist Dutch elm disease.

“It’s very important that we are good stewards of what we have,” Sheppard said. “We all do our part in our little corner of the world.”

Sun reporter Kari Lucin can be reached at 701-952-8453 or

by email at

klucin@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, news, trees