Photo By Aimee Malone | A Fort McCoy community member carries red pine saplings to plant April 30 near Pine...... read more read more
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As part of the annual Arbor Day observance, Fort McCoy community members planted 400 red pines April 30 near Pine View Campground at the installation.
Child Development Center students and parents joined in on the event, learning how to properly plant trees and about the importance of planting trees.
The Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch coordinated the event. Forester Charles Mentzel said the new trees, along with another 4,600 planted earlier by Wisconsin Challenge Academy cadets, will be a nice addition to the campground.
“These trees will aid the campground with a visual screen, blocking wind and reducing noise for many years to come,” Mentzel said.
According to history.com, the origins of Arbor Day dates back to the early 1870s in Nebraska City, Neb. A journalist by the name of Julius Sterling Morton moved to the state with his wife, Caroline, in 1854. The couple purchased 160 acres in Nebraska City and planted a wide variety of trees and shrubs in what was a primarily a flat stretch of desolate plain.
Morton later became editor of the state’s first newspaper, Nebraska City News, which became a platform for Morton to spread his knowledge of trees and to stress their ecological importance within Nebraska.
On Jan. 7, 1872, Morton proposed a day that would encourage all Nebraskans to plant trees in their community. An agriculture board agreed, and Arbor Day was born. The first Arbor Day was held April 10, 1872.
The tradition spread quickly. Within 20 years, Arbor Day had reached a large swath of the nation and was celebrated in every state except for Delaware. It wasn’t until 1970, however, that Arbor Day became recognized nationwide, thanks to President Richard Nixon.
This move was in line with other environmentally friendly actions taken by Nixon in the 1970s, including the passing of the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Protection Act, and more.
Fort McCoy has participated in the event for decades. The installation has received more than 30 Tree City USA awards and has been managing its forested areas since its inception.
Tree City USA is an Arbor Day Foundation program. Communities that receive the designation meet four core standards of sound urban forestry management: maintaining a tree board or department, having a community tree ordinance, spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry, and celebrating Arbor Day.
More information about Tree City USA communities is available at www.arborday.org. More information about Fort McCoy’s forestry program is available at https://mccoy.isportsman.net/programs.aspx.
(Article prepared by the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office.)
| Date Taken: | 05.13.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.13.2021 13:39 |
| Story ID: | 396308 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 90 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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