City plans annual Arbor Day school celebration for May 3

(COLUMBIA, MO) -

The City of Columbia will hold its annual Arbor Day program in the schools on Thursday, May 3. This year’s celebration will start at 1 p.m. at Blue Ridge Elementary School, 3700 Woodland Dr.

Columbia Parks and Recreation forestry staff will be assisting students in planting container trees at the school, weather permitting. Staff will also be planting ball and burlap trees, which are grown at nurseries, dug up, then transported with the "ball" of roots and soil wrapped in burlap.    

Students will rotate through educational stations that promote proper tree planting and care. The stations will focus on tree benefits, the proper place to plant a tree, tree trimming equipment, planting container trees and tree identification.

The Arbor Day school celebration is a collaboration among Parks and Recreation, Columbia Water & Light, Asplundh Tree Expert Company, the City’s Office of Sustainability and the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Columbia holds Arbor Day events each year as part of their designation as a Tree City USA, a recognition bestowed by the National Arbor Day Foundation to honor the city’s commitment to a forestry program. Columbia has met all four standards to be a Tree City USA: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program and an Arbor Day observance.

For more information about the Arbor Day observance, call Parks and Recreation at 573-874-7460.