City celebrates Arbor Day with Halverson School
Published 10:05 am Friday, May 5, 2023
Ben Bangert, arborist with the City Parks Department at right, explains the benefits of trees to Halverson Elementary students. The students helped plant a beech and iron tree at the school, and then took home pine seedlings to plant, courtesy of the Freeborn County Soil and Water Conservation District. Provided
Halverson Elementary students are doing their part to protect the well-being of Albert Lea by planting trees that produce clean air, prevent runoff, provide shade and help mitigate climate change. Provided
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Students from Halverson Elementary are doing their part to protect the well-being of the Albert Lea community by helping plant trees on Arbor Day. Trees play an important role in producing clean air to breathe, absorbing stormwater, providing shade and increasing resiliency to climate change.
After learning about urban forestry from Ben Bangert, arborist, and Alex Bledsoe, tree inspector, of the Albert Lea Parks Department, students planted a beech and an ironwood tree at Halverson. Each student also received a pine seedling to take home to plant, as donated by the Freeborn County Soil and Water Conservation District.
The Arbor Day Foundation recently recognized the city of Albert Lea as a Tree City USA. The city has continued this certification for 28 years by maintaining:
- A tree department through the Parks Department
- A tree ordinance
- Budgeting for trees
- An observance of Arbor Day
“If there was ever a time for trees, now is that time. Communities worldwide are facing issues with air quality, water resources, personal health and well-being, energy use, and extreme heat and flooding. Albert Lea is doing its part to address these challenges for residents, both now and in the future,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation.
