The City of Pierre has once again been named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. To help celebrate Pierre’s 42nd year as a Tree City USA, nearly 250 local students will receive seedlings.
On Thursday, April 24, City of Pierre staff and a SD Dept. of Agriculture and Natural Resources (SDDANR) Community Forester will visit second graders at Buchanan, Jefferson, Kennedy, Stanley County, and St. Joseph’s Schools to hand out young trees and provide the students with information about how to plant and care for them.
“We’re distributing Thornless Honey-locust seedlings,” said Bryan Tipton Parks and Recreation Director. “When full grown, they provide a great amount of shade and turn a beautiful golden honey color in the fall.”
The distribution is made possible by the Pierre Arbor Board in partnership with the Sunshine Chapter of the Izaak Walton League and the South Dakota Dept. of Agriculture and Natural Resources (SDDANR).
“Each year we provide trees for the distributions, and each year our goal is for all the young trees to be planted here in the Pierre area,” said John Henderson, Izaak Walton League Representative.
To be recognized as a Tree City USA, a community must demonstrate sound urban forestry practices that include having an Arbor Board and tree-maintenance ordinances.
“This is just one effort our Arbor Board makes throughout the year to keep our local tree population healthy and our community beautiful,” said Tipton.
The city’s Arbor Board is a volunteer group appointed by the mayor to advise on and lead tree care efforts in the City of Pierre. Current members are Adam Kulesa, Amanda Bachman, John Henderson, Amanda Martin, Cole Irwin, and Lokesh Bhattarai.