Exeter celebrates 20th year of Arbor Day plantings
The Exeter Tree Board celebrated their 16th year in the Tree City USA program. The members are pictured above, from left to right. Front row: Jon Skinner, Community Forester Missouri Department of Conservation; Rusty Reed, Exeter mayor; Sherry Johnson, Exeter tree board president; Sheila Raney, Exeter tree board; Kelly Asbury, Exeter tree board; and Susan Sorensen, Exeter tree board. Back row: Kirk Wynns, certified arborist and consultant; and Jennifer Taylor, tree board member. Board member not pictured: Kerry Lewis.
April 22, 2015
Charlea Mills
Saturday marked the 20th year of Arbor Day celebrations for the City of Exeter. Each year on the third Saturday in April, the Exeter Tree Board plants a tree in the city and has a get together.
Twenty years ago, the group began by planting 37 trees throughout the city park and school and has planted at least one each year since. Exeter also earned the recognition as part of Tree City USA, a special recognition for cities participating in community forestry in the United States.
The Exeter Tree Board is a group of volunteers who get together four to six times a year to vote on issues related to community forestry and appropriate the funds allocated by the Exeter City Council for the new tree they plant each year.
Certified arborist and consultant Kirk Wynns has been helping the board since the first tree plantings 20 years ago. He also takes responsibility for ensuring that the trees get watered during droughts and planning where trees need to be planted. He also helps the board with a list of champion trees in the area, which are the largest and best of the species, and a survey of the trees already there.
Wynns said, “I just help guide them and lead them in the direction they need to go with their plans.”
Wynns also takes responsibility for watering the trees during droughts and keeping watch over the condition of the trees in the city. During times of drought, that means watering each of the smaller trees with five gallons of water a day to keep them in good shape. Wynns said, “Sometimes we lose trees, but that’s just part of it. We want to keep growing and planting.” Even the fire department has pitched in with the arborist mission, bringing a tanker truck to help water the trees during droughts. It’s a community-wide effort.
All volunteers, both Wynns and the tree board, work to select the trees and keep them maintained. This year, the group planted a purple-leaf cherry tree at the Exeter City Park. Each year, they make the decision of how many trees and what varieties to plant with their funds. Most years, the Exeter City Council grants them $150 to $250 to purchase the tree.
The group also works with their local urban forester Jon Skinner, who works for the Missouri Department of Conservation. Skinner helps to coordinate the community’s efforts as well as many other communities in the area.
As a Tree City USA city, Exeter is one of only 86 cities in Missouri that have earned the distinction. To be a part of Tree City USA, they have to meet four requirements of sound urban forestry management: maintain a tree board or department, have a community tree ordinance, spend at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and celebrate Arbor Day. Exeter is one of the three smallest population cities in Missouri to be a part of the program.
For more information on Arbor Day activities and the Tree City USA program, see http://www.arborday.org.
Charlea Mills
Saturday marked the 20th year of Arbor Day celebrations for the City of Exeter. Each year on the third Saturday in April, the Exeter Tree Board plants a tree in the city and has a get together.
Twenty years ago, the group began by planting 37 trees throughout the city park and school and has planted at least one each year since. Exeter also earned the recognition as part of Tree City USA, a special recognition for cities participating in community forestry in the United States.
The Exeter Tree Board is a group of volunteers who get together four to six times a year to vote on issues related to community forestry and appropriate the funds allocated by the Exeter City Council for the new tree they plant each year.
Certified arborist and consultant Kirk Wynns has been helping the board since the first tree plantings 20 years ago. He also takes responsibility for ensuring that the trees get watered during droughts and planning where trees need to be planted. He also helps the board with a list of champion trees in the area, which are the largest and best of the species, and a survey of the trees already there.
Wynns said, “I just help guide them and lead them in the direction they need to go with their plans.”
Wynns also takes responsibility for watering the trees during droughts and keeping watch over the condition of the trees in the city. During times of drought, that means watering each of the smaller trees with five gallons of water a day to keep them in good shape. Wynns said, “Sometimes we lose trees, but that’s just part of it. We want to keep growing and planting.” Even the fire department has pitched in with the arborist mission, bringing a tanker truck to help water the trees during droughts. It’s a community-wide effort.
All volunteers, both Wynns and the tree board, work to select the trees and keep them maintained. This year, the group planted a purple-leaf cherry tree at the Exeter City Park. Each year, they make the decision of how many trees and what varieties to plant with their funds. Most years, the Exeter City Council grants them $150 to $250 to purchase the tree.
The group also works with their local urban forester Jon Skinner, who works for the Missouri Department of Conservation. Skinner helps to coordinate the community’s efforts as well as many other communities in the area.
As a Tree City USA city, Exeter is one of only 86 cities in Missouri that have earned the distinction. To be a part of Tree City USA, they have to meet four requirements of sound urban forestry management: maintain a tree board or department, have a community tree ordinance, spend at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and celebrate Arbor Day. Exeter is one of the three smallest population cities in Missouri to be a part of the program.
For more information on Arbor Day activities and the Tree City USA program, see http://www.arborday.org.
