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04/17/2008: "Arbor Day Bare-Root Seedling Give-Away"

(File photo of Pauli Gavora pointing to helpers Alex Gavora & not-doing-too-much Gordy for the 2007 event)

Free Trees were given out on on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan on Friday. This was the 12th year (& 12,000 trees later) that Pauli Gavora has organized giving away free trees as a part of national Arbor Day. The seedling this year was the Deodara Cedar.

In 1872 Sterling Morton proposed to the Nebraska State legislature that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees. A holiday for that purpose, Arbor Day, was first observed with the planting of more than one millions trees in Nebraska.

One hundred and thirty-six years later the merits of this act are not diminished. Conserving topsoil was a major factor behind the reforestation project in Nebraska, but trees are of value for a myriad of reasons. Trees help mitigate the erosion of topsoil, they also remove carbon dioxide from the air, they help to purify the water, and they provide habitat for wildlife. They also beautify our communities and serve to pace our existence in a way very special.

The trees are donated each year by Evans Nursery (376-4961), the Republican Party, and Kings Typesetting & Printing. If you would like to be a part of this annual free give-away of trees next year, call Pauli at 378-4348





*Conserve 1. To keep in safety, or from harm, decay or loss; to preserve with care. Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford, Vol.11, Oxford University Press, 1978) p. 856.