This year’s National Arbor Day on April 29 will mark the 150th anniversary of the tree-planting holiday.
The first Arbor Day was held April 10, 1872, in Nebraska, with citizens planting more than 1 million trees. Today, Arbor Day is observed in all 50 states. Many FFA chapters take part in this holiday that celebrates nature.
In Keystone Heights, Fla., the Keystone Heights FFA Chapter celebrated Arbor Day in 2021 by planting a mulberry tree in memory of Lynn Swartzwelder, a longtime faculty member of Keystone Heights High School who died unexpectedly in December 2020. The mulberry tree was donated to the school by the Clay County Soil and Water Conservation District.
“The Clay County Soil and Water Conservation District has a strong relationship with our school system,” says Keystone Heights FFA advisor Erin Verplanck. “They host land judging competitions for FFA, sponsor a poster contest and facilitate a speech contest for students in Clay County.”
Keystone Heights FFA members collaborated with the Soil and Water Conservation District to schedule the tree-planting ceremony and dedication. About 30 FFA members attended.
“Students chose to plant the tree at the front of the school where everyone could see it and remember Mrs. Swartzwelder,” Verplanck says. “A passage was read by a member of the Soil and Water Conservation District to share the importance of Arbor Day.”
Blake Kendrick, Keystone Heights FFA sentinel, planted the tree during the ceremony.
“The dedication ceremony meant a lot to all of us. Mrs. Swartzwelder was well known and is greatly missed,” Kendrick says. “I enjoyed being part of honoring her memory and participating in a soil and water conservation project that benefits our environment. We learned more about soil and water conservation and the importance of Arbor Day.”
After the tree planting, agriculture students built a portable sprinkler to water the tree, they scheduled watering assignments for students to provide weekly care and maintenance, and they placed stakes and marking tape around the tree to keep it safe from student traffic and mowing.
“This project was a great opportunity for us to come together as an FFA chapter and campus. We not only honored someone who holds a special place in our hearts, but also helped promote conservation of our natural resources,” Kendrick says. æI really enjoyed being part of this ceremony and am thankful for the experience it provided.”
