It took a team effort for five Discovery Elementary School fourth-graders to place enough dirt around the exposed roots of a tree before declaring its planting a success. Each took a turn with the group’s lone shovel while using their hands to scoop dirt into the hole. “I’ve dug a hole before, so I kind of know how to fill it,” 10-year-old Alex Talle told his classmates while shoveling dirt around the tree’s base. “I had never planted trees. All I did was dig holes.” The tree planted by the five boys was one of 40 placed in the park for Grand Forks’ annual celebration of Arbor Day. Each tree represented one year Grand Forks has been part of the Tree City USA program. The city is one of 16 across the nation that has participated in the program every year since its inception in 1976. Mandan, N.D., also is part of the group. The cities retain their Tree City USA certification by meeting requirements, such as having a community forestry program and observing Arbor Day with a city proclamation. This year, dozens of fourth-graders from Discovery, located across the street from Kiwanis Park in south Grand Forks, assisted park staff from Grand Forks and East Grand Forks with planting the trees. City leaders from both Grand Forks and East Grand Forks also were present to help the students mark the observance. East Grand Forks City Council member Craig Buckalew recalled planting his first tree at age 29. “That was over 30 years ago, and since then, I’ve planted hundreds of trees and sold thousands of trees so that others can enjoy the fruits of that labor,” said Buckalew, who owns Hardware Hank in East Grand Forks. Before students split into groups and headed for the prepared holes where their trees would be placed, North Dakota State Forester Larry Kotchman presented Grand Forks Mayor Mike Brown with a special flag and plaque commemorating the occasion. Then, with a signal from Grand Forks Park District Director Bill Palmiscno, the fourth-graders took off running to park employees sporting neon yellow shirts and headed out into the park.
Chad Swendseid, an employee with the East Grand Forks Parks and Recreation Department, supervised the planting of the tree handled by Alex’s group, the first of four the students would undertake. “I try to make it fun,” Swendseid said. “I have them name the trees so they can relate a little more.” The group decided on the name George for its first tree, a young oak. Soon, the planting of Lucas, North Dakota and Maximus followed. With the trees in the ground, it was up to the students to remember which ones they planted where. The group assured Swendseid they would. “I’m going to have my parents drive by tonight and look,” 10-year-old Cole Guttormson said of the trees he helped plant. The boys and the rest of their classmates planted most of the trees along the park’s south and east edges. Kiwanis Park is a relatively new addition to the city and had few trees before the students began planting. “We’re going to plant 40 trees, which is pretty exciting for this area of town,” Palmiscno said. “It kind of gives us a park.” It took a team effort for five Discovery Elementary School fourth-graders to place enough dirt around the exposed roots of a tree before declaring its planting a success. Each took a turn with the group’s lone shovel while using their hands to scoop dirt into the hole. “I’ve dug a hole before, so I kind of know how to fill it,” 10-year-old Alex Talle told his classmates while shoveling dirt around the tree’s base. “I had never planted trees. All I did was dig holes.”The tree planted by the five boys was one of 40 placed in the park for Grand Forks’ annual celebration of Arbor Day. Each tree represented one year Grand Forks has been part of the Tree City USA program. The city is one of 16 across the nation that has participated in the program every year since its inception in 1976. Mandan, N.D., also is part of the group. The cities retain their Tree City USA certification by meeting requirements, such as having a community forestry program and observing Arbor Day with a city proclamation.This year, dozens of fourth-graders from Discovery, located across the street from Kiwanis Park in south Grand Forks, assisted park staff from Grand Forks and East Grand Forks with planting the trees. City leaders from both Grand Forks and East Grand Forks also were present to help the students mark the observance. East Grand Forks City Council member Craig Buckalew recalled planting his first tree at age 29. “That was over 30 years ago, and since then, I’ve planted hundreds of trees and sold thousands of trees so that others can enjoy the fruits of that labor,” said Buckalew, who owns Hardware Hank in East Grand Forks.Before students split into groups and headed for the prepared holes where their trees would be placed, North Dakota State Forester Larry Kotchman presented Grand Forks Mayor Mike Brown with a special flag and plaque commemorating the occasion. Then, with a signal from Grand Forks Park District Director Bill Palmiscno, the fourth-graders took off running to park employees sporting neon yellow shirts and headed out into the park.
Chad Swendseid, an employee with the East Grand Forks Parks and Recreation Department, supervised the planting of the tree handled by Alex’s group, the first of four the students would undertake. “I try to make it fun,” Swendseid said. “I have them name the trees so they can relate a little more.”The group decided on the name George for its first tree, a young oak. Soon, the planting of Lucas, North Dakota and Maximus followed. With the trees in the ground, it was up to the students to remember which ones they planted where. The group assured Swendseid they would. “I’m going to have my parents drive by tonight and look,” 10-year-old Cole Guttormson said of the trees he helped plant. The boys and the rest of their classmates planted most of the trees along the park’s south and east edges. Kiwanis Park is a relatively new addition to the city and had few trees before the students began planting. “We’re going to plant 40 trees, which is pretty exciting for this area of town,” Palmiscno said. “It kind of gives us a park.”
