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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A number of southwest Missouri events are planned in April to celebrate Missouri Arbor Day (always the first Friday of April) which is April 5, and National Arbor Day (always the last Friday of April) on April 26.
Arbor Day, which was first held in 1872 and was the creation of Nebraska newspaper editor J. Sterling Morton, is an annual event designed to raise people’s awareness of the importance of trees. It’s hoped, through this awareness, trees will continue to be a viable component of the landscape for years to come. As part of Missouri’s Arbor Day events, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is involved with tree-planting events throughout the state in April.
Here are tree-themed events scheduled in southwest Missouri that MDC is participating in:
- April 5: 4 p.m. in Willard, the City of Willard will be recognized as a Tree City USA at the Willard Recreation Center, 133 N. Highway Z.
- April 12: 10:30 a.m. in Springfield, Drury University will be recognized as a Tree Campus USA at the Findlay Student Center on the Drury Campus, 900 N. Benton Ave.
- April 12: from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in Marshfield, the City of Marshfield will be recognized as a Tree City USA and will also receive a 10-year Growth Award at Shook Elementary School, 180 State Highway DD
- April 15: 11 a.m. in Aurora; Liberty Utilities will receive Tree Line USA Recognition at the Heritage Harmony House, 700 S. Hudson Ave.
- April 22: 2 p.m. in Ash Grove, the City of Ash Grove will be recognized as a Tree City USA at Ash Grove City Park, 300 W. Parkway St.
- April 24: 1:30 p.m. in Springfield, Missouri State University will be recognized as a Tree Campus USA on the west side of the Bill R. Foster and Family Recreation Center, 945 E. Madison St.
- April 26: 4:30 p.m., the City of Branson will be recognized as a Tree City USA and will receive a 17-year Growth Award at the Branson Community Center, 201 Compton Drive
- April 26: 12:30 p.m. in Lebanon, the City of Lebanon will receive its first Tree City USA recognition at Gasconade Park at Fourth St. and Van Buren St.
- April 26: from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Springfield, the City of Springfield will be recognized as a Tree City USA and City Utilities will receive Tree Line USA recognition at the Botanical Center, 2400 S. Scenic Ave.
- April 27: 10 a.m. in Forsyth, the Taney County Master Gardeners will hold an Arbor Day event which will feature a tree give-away, at the Taney County Extension Center, 122 Felkins Ave.
- May 14: from 8:30 a.m. to noon in Ozark, the city of Ozark will be recognized as a Tree City USA at the Ozark Community Center Pavilion, 1530 W. Jackson St.
For more information about any of these events, contact Missouri Department of Conservation Community Forester Cindy Garner at 417-895-6881, ext. 1632 or at Cindy.Garner@mdc.mo.gov. Information about the benefits of trees can be found at mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/trees-work.
