Tree cities plan to celebrate Arbor Day

By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer

Friday is Arbor Day, the day when America celebrates its trees.

To observe the day, the three Carbon County communities that are members of Tree City USA — a national program dedicated to enhancing community forestry programs — will hold celebrations in the coming weeks.

Rawlins has been a member for more than 12 years, Saratoga can claim about five years and Medicine Bow is stepping out of its infancy and into its third year.

To become a Tree City, communities must designate a tree board or a city department responsible for public trees and designate $2 per resident from the annual budget for tree maintenance and planting. They must also plan an Arbor Day celebration.

Rawlins City Planner Dan Mika estimates that the city spends about $6,000 each year on new trees. Sometimes, unexpected maintenance costs prevent planting new trees, such as the case of last fall’s snowstorm that toppled numerous branches and trees around Rawlins.

“A lot of money was spent toward safety instead of improvement,” Mika said.

Medicine Bow has a large budget — $10,000 this year — for the size of the town, which numbers 274.

“The town has been very supportive,” said Jim Colman, chairman of Medicine Bow’s tree board.
While Rawlins is scheduled to hold its planting festivities on Saturday, Medicine Bow and Saratoga plan to delay theirs until the weather is more suitable for the young trees.

Saratoga has not yet set a date, but the event should be an educational one where elementary students and staff learn about trees and planting, a town official said.

Medicine Bow has set its event for May 17, but plans have not been finalized. In its first two years, the community planted trees in the park and around its baseball diamond. The community also created plaques identifying the trees and three welcome signs for the town entrances.