In celebration of 150 years of Arbor Day and 50 years of Nebraska Natural Resources Districts, Nebraska City Tourism & Commerce has partnered with various NRDs throughout the state to gift a tree to every county over the course of the next year.

“On the first Arbor Day in 1872, one million trees were planted across Nebraska,” said Tammy Partsch, Tourism & Promotions Coordinator for Nebraska City Tourism & Commerce. “Those early citizens saw the value of the new tree planting holiday and it’s time Nebraska City, as the home of Arbor Day Founder J. Sterling Morton, thanks them for that.”

The partnership, called The Gift of Trees, includes the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District with tree plantings in Adams, Clay, Fillmore, Hamilton, Seward, and York Counties completed in October. Plantings took place at courthouses, fairgrounds, and other publicly owned properties.  

“Tree planting has been an important part of the mission of Nebraska’s NRDs for 50 years,” said Chrystal Houston, public relations manager for the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District. “We are happy to partner with Nebraska City Tourism & Commerce on this project to bring greater awareness to every county of Nebraska of the many benefits of planting trees and to celebrate our shared tree planting mission and heritage.”
 
Representatives from Nebraska City have been traveling Nebraska throughout this fall and will continue to do so into next spring to continue this statewide tree planting project. They hope to reach all 93 counties by next fall. The Gift of Trees project in the Upper Big Blue NRD is also supported by the Friends of Arbor Lodge Foundation and Bessey Nursery of Halsey, Nebraska.

Tammy Partsch, tourism and promotions coordinator for Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce, holds a ceremonial shovel while Seward County Commissioner Ken Schmieding adds his name to the handle. A tree was planted at the Nebraska Guard Museum in Seward.




NRD District Forester Kyle Yrkoski plants a tree in Benedict at a York County facility. 



A tree was planted at the Clay County fairgrounds. 



NRD District Forester Kyle Yrkoski plants a tree on the Hamilton County Courthouse grounds.



NRD Director David Robotham and neice Harper were on hand for a ceremonial planting at the NRD office building in York.