JACKSON, Wyo. — During the regular Town Council meeting on Monday, April 7, Mayor Arne Jorgensen proclaimed that the Town of Jackson will combine observations of both Arbor Day and Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22.
According to the Town, the official proclamation will be read during this year’s Earth Day Happy Hour event put on by Energy Conservation Works, Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities, the Riverwind Foundation and Teton County Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling on April 22, with details to be announced.
Arbor Day was first established in 1872, by the Nebraska Board of Agriculture to help promote the importance of trees. In its very first year, U.S. citizens celebrated the day by planting more than a million trees in Nebraska, per the proclamation.
The proclamation states that trees are valued for enhancing the economic vitality of business areas, beautifying communities and as a “source of joy and spiritual renewal.”
“This designation shows our commitment to the Urban Forest, creates an avenue to educate the public on the value of trees in our community and identifies all the positive environmental impacts that trees can have on our ecosystem,” the Town of Jackson wrote in the meeting agenda.
Almost 14 years since the Town of Jackson was first recognized as a Tree City USA designee, the proclamation has become part of the Town’s annual re-certification process with the U.S. Forest Service’s Arbor Day Foundation Program. Communities that earn Tree City USA certification recognize that trees filter the air by removing dust and other particles, moderate climate, conserve water and provide vital habitat for wildlife.
“Trees can be a solution to combating climate change by reducing the erosion of our precious topsoil by wind and water, cutting heating and cooling costs, moderating the temperature, cleaning the air, producing life-giving oxygen and providing habitat for wildlife,” the proclamation reads.
In celebration of Arbor Day, Mayor Jorgensen encourages community members to support efforts to protect the valley’s trees and woodlands and to plant trees for the well-being of future generations.
