Grand Island Plants Ten Free Trees in Broadwell Park

Grand Island, Neb. — Thanks to the Ten Free Trees program, an effort of the Nebraska Forest Service and the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, the City of Grand Island received ten trees to plant in a park of its choosing.

Parks and Recreation crews could be seen planting those trees in Broadwell Park Wednesday morning. The park recently lost a lot of tree and shade cover due to needing to remove unhealthy trees.

Despite providing a wide range of social, economic and environmental benefits, most Nebraska community forests have been in steady and sometimes dramatic decline. Many challenges contribute, including extreme weather, insects, disease and lack of diversity. The Emerald Ash borer is the latest major challenge added to the list.

In an effort to stop this decline and increase community forest resilience, the Free Trees program grants up to ten high-quality trees for tree-related educational events and community celebrations promoting trees and fall planting.

In addition to simply planting more trees, the program goals include increasing appreciation and awareness of the value of community forests in Nebraska. Special emphasis is placed on species diversity and higher impact projects, especially street tree planting and projects in neighborhoods of highest need.

Ten Free Trees is supported by the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum’s Trees for Nebraska Towns Initiative funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust, and a U.S. Forest Service Landscape Scale Restoration grant received by the Nebraska Forest Service.

For more information, please contact Grand Island Communications Manager Spencer Schubert at [email protected].