Children from a nearby UW-Stevens Point daycare center helped city staff plant trees for Arbor Day in 2019. The kids were also sent homme with seedlings from the DNR to plant at home. (Metro Wire photo)

WPS, UW kids, boost city’s Arbor Day

May 8, 2019

By Brandi Makuski

Stevens Point celebrated Arbor Day on May 7 at Emerson Park.

About 30 students from the University Child Learning and Care Center were in attendance to hear City Forester Todd Ernster talk about the role trees play in recycling oxygen, aesthetics, and shade. Mayor Mike Wiza was also on hand to help the kids plant a tree on the south end of the park.

Wisconsin Public Service donated $500 for the tree-planting, Wiza said, and the owners of El Mezcal also donated gift cards for the event.

Ernster and others from the city parks department planted several Red Oak and Amur maackie trees, the latter which Ernster called a “nitrogen-fixing tree” that has a “neat orangish-spark” when mature.

Brian Friedrich, the regional forester for WPS, and Jim Richter from Asplundh, the tree-trimming contractor for WPS, were also on hand with about 100 crab apple, dogwood, chokecherry, and serviceberry seedlings for the kids to take home and plant themselves.

Friedrich said all the trees planted on Tuesday would grow to a maximum height of 8-10 feet, making them ideal for urban planting.