“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago,” an original quote by Warren Buffett, was echoed by Marshfield Mayor Natalie McNish on April 22. The day celebrated both Earth Day and Marshfield’s Arbor Day; a celebration centered around trees.
Shook Elementary 4th graders celebrated the day with the planting of a maple tree on the school’s front lawn. Students discussed the many contributions of trees with Paul Johnson, Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Resource Forester. From cleaner air, to homes for wildlife, the students were all on board with the planting of trees, a task they would each be able to participate in.
“We're celebrating Arbor Day because it's an important day. Trees are so important for us and provide us so many different benefits, shade, food, water retention, all these different things,” explained Johnson. “It's a day to celebrate trees, plant trees and remember why trees are important to our community here in Marshfield. We've been doing that for 15 plus years and it's just a fun event to spend with the fourth grade class.”
After an official proclamation from Mayor McNish and a story from her youth recalling many days playing under her grandfather’s willow tree, each student received their own shortleaf pine tree. Missouri’s only native pine tree, the shortleaf sapling may have been small in size, but has the potential to grow 120 feet tall and live for 300 years.
“We are very fortunate here in Marshfield, to have a community of invested individuals who are willing to take up their time to invest in our children and our community through trees in the future,” expressed McNish.
These invested individuals McNish referenced are Marshfield’s own tree-fanatics, the Marshfield Tree Committee. The group works as an advisory committee for the mayor on all the trees on public lands in Marshfield. They not only promote trees within the community, but ensure that Marshfield remains a “Tree City USA.”
“Trees are very important to our community. They give us shade. They absorb water when we have lots of rain like we've been having. They can increase your property value because people love to look at trees, and they're just pretty,” smiled Lisa Jameson, member of Marshfield’s Tree Board. “Marshfield has been a Tree City USA for the last 35 years. We have to complete certain projects, and Arbor Day is included in that to achieve to be a Tree City USA. They just don't award it to you because you have trees in your city. We have different activities we do throughout the year. We're proud to say that we have made the growth award, in other words, we increased the number of trees in our city and we have been named a Tree City every year since we began.”
The fourth graders all left with trees in hand and optimism that they will be able to enjoy the shade of their trees in the years to come.
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