VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – VCSU Fisheries and Wildlife Science students and their professors have an investment in Hi-Line Prairie Gardens and Orchard. Trista Montgomery brought her Restoration and Plant Ecology students out to Hi-Line Prairie Gardens and Orchard to celebrate Arbor Day by completing some spring clean-up around the orchard trees, and tree planting.
Dr. Bob Anderson (VCSU professor and city forester) assisted with planting and pruning instructions for the students. Two mulberry trees, donated by Chad Kjelland, were planted. The remaining orchard trees were pruned, the pollinator garden was weeded, and some of last year’s standing vegetation was removed so the garden is ready for new spring growth.
Signs were posted to remind ambitious volunteers not to mow the grass this year because Dr. Casey Williams is working on planting Eco-grass, a blend of various Fescue grasses, and a full growing season is needed to allow it to get established.
Among the students involved were:
Alex Stoterau
Jake Hennings
Blase Isaacson
Matthew Cayler
Jadyn Vollmer
Ty Awender
Arbor Day is a national holiday that recognizes the importance of trees. The most common way people celebrate Arbor Day is to get together in groups to plant and care for trees. National Arbor day this year was Friday, April 24. Trees provide essential environmental, economic, and health benefits by purifying the air, reducing heat in cities, and managing storm water runoff. They improve mental health, reduce energy costs by up to 50% through shade, increase property values, and offer vital habitats for wildlife.
Trees can help reduce climate change. To offset the annual carbon footprint of one person, it typically requires planting between 150 and 700 trees depending on the person’s lifestyle and the type of tree.
In Valley City there is a volunteer group, the Image and Beautification Committee that writes grants to plant trees, water them, and cares for the plantings over the years. One of the most recent planting are the trees on the boulevards around Leever’s Grocery. Anyone interested in trees, either donating a tree, helping plant or care for trees, can contact Sharon Buhr of the Valley City Image and Beautification Committee at 840-0973.
