Getting green in the Silver Valley!

Kellogg celebrates Arbor Day

By JOSH MCDONALD

Staff Reporter

Making the valley a little less bare certainly can’t hurt.

The City of Kellogg planted several trees around the city on April 28 in celebration of Arbor Day.

Officially, Arbor Day was last Friday, but there were different tree planting efforts going on all week.

From getting several trees donated to the city from the Idaho Department of Lands, to planting trees at the Kellogg Head Start building, and then even planting some new trees in the uptown Kellogg business district, it was a busy week for Kellogg superintendent of public works Craig Lewis.

On Friday, along with the other members of the Kellogg Tree Committee, Lewis planted a golden desert ash and had a brief ceremony with IDL forestry assistant Steven Drinkard who spoke about the progress that he has seen from the city and how proud he is of it.

“It is remarkable that you have been working on this for 19 years, as a smaller city, with less funding than even Hayden you have continued to plant and received Growth Awards,” Drinkard said. “In 1999 (Kellogg’s first year as a Tree City, USA), the day after Arbor Day you guys planted 3,500 seedlings, you taught elementary students the importance of trees, you did a tree pruning class for the community and the city planner implemented your urban forestry program. I just want to congratulate you for continuing to do so.”

Continuing to plant trees within the city has proven to be difficult, especially this year as seedlings were in high demand since the various forest and land agencies have been planting them in places where they have cleaned up after fires had swept through.

“Seedlings were tough to get this year,” Lewis said. “With all of the fire lands getting harvested and ready to be replanted there were not a lot left for them to just give out like they had in the past.”

The Growth Award highlights innovative programs and projects as well as increased commitment of resources for urban forestry as well as provides an opportunity to share new ideas and successes across the country. Kellogg achieved the recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: having a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita, and having an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. “Tree City USA communities see the impact an urban forest has in a community first hand,” said Arbor Day Foundation president Dan Lambe. “Additionally, recognition brings residents together and creates a sense of community pride, whether it’s through volunteer engagement or public education.” Trees provide multiple benefits to a community when properly planted and maintained. They can help improve the visual appeal of a neighborhood, increase property values, reduce home cooling costs, remove air pollutants and provide wildlife habitat among many other benefits.

As an area that, until recently, lacked surrounding foliage in our cities and flanking hillsides; Arbor Day celebrations are a welcome sight to all here in the Silver Valley that appreciate the natural beauty we get to live next to every day.