NEWBERRY — Students from Newberry Elementary School and Newberry Academy took part in celebrating Arbor Day by assisting Mayor Foster Senn in planting trees on both Newberry Elementary and Newberry Academy campuses Friday afternoon.
Newberry County celebrates Arbor Day the first Friday of December.
Newberry Academy fourth grade teacher Jaymi Wilbanks talked with the children about how trees not only provide us with the oxygen we breathe and with pencils that we write with, but how trees beautify our Earth.
“Be kind to your environment, because trees are kind to us,” Wilbanks said.
Arbor Day was first celebrated in the 1870s by a man named Sterling Morton. Morton moved to Nebraska, where there weren’t many trees.
“So Morton, who owned a newspaper, put out an article in Nebraska saying they needed more trees. He asked everyone to pick a date, April 10, 1872, to plant trees that day all over the state. That day, they planted one million trees,” Senn said.
Soon other states heard about it and decided to start planting more trees, and it has continued ever since. Each state picks a date to celebrate Arbor Day.
Newberry County has chose December to celebrate Arbor Day, because December is is usually the best time to plant trees. If a tree is planted in the summer, it wouldn’t do too well because of the heat and dryness.
“My favorite trees are the oak trees across from the Opera House. They’re really big and pretty. I just like to look at them, and on a hot day, there’s a lot of shade under those trees. This tree is going to get bigger and bigger just like those trees downtown for all the kids to enjoy, because you helped plant it today,” Senn said.
Normally, Newberry County plants one tree for Arbor Day. This year, a second tree was planted at Newberry Elementary.
Senn asked the students what kind of things trees provide us with. Responses ranged from air, fruit, paper and ability to make furniture.
“The reason we have those trees in front of the Opera House is because a long time ago, before I was even born, somebody planted those trees when they were really small. Over the years, they grew and grew and now because somebody planted them, we have really big trees to enjoy,” Senn said.
The trees planted at both campuses were Red Maple Trees. Right now, the tree is 15 feet tall, but will grow to be 50 to 60 feet tall.
