KWU to Hold Annual Tree Planting Ceremony

In celebration of the upcoming Arbor Day, Kansas Wesleyan University will hold its eighth annual tree planting ceremony by planting two Shumard oaks on campus. The event will occur Monday, April 20, beginning at 3 p.m.

The public is invited to the Outdoor Living Room, located between Pfeiffer and Pioneer Halls on campus, to participate. Students, faculty and staff of KWU, and City of Salina Parks and Forestry workers will assist with the planting.

Monday's plantings will put KWU on schedule for its eighth consecutive year of Tree Campus Higher Education recognition.

The KWU Tree Advisory Committee, composed of students, community members and faculty, has been working during the past eight years to create, update and maintain a tree inventory to identify, document and tag the more than 230 trees on campus.

Trees create biodiversity, provide countless ecosystem services, enhance property value and improve our quality of life and health. Shumard oaks are fast growing and drought tolerant, with acorns that will delight the campus squirrels.

The city of Salina is also recognized as a long-time Tree City USA Community.

Arbor Day is a national holiday celebrated on the last Friday of April, April 24 this year. For more information on the Arbor Day Foundation, visit www.arborday.org.

Release by Jean Kozubowski