JBER celebrates Arbor Day

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Javier Alvarez
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Members of the 673d Civil Engineer Squadron and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s local Boy Scout Troop 190, Cub Scout Troop 110, and Girl Scout Troop 700 hosted two tree-planting ceremonies in honor of Alaska’s Arbor Day May 12 and 15.

The Arbor Day ceremonies also helped celebrated JBER’s 20th year as a Tree City U.S.A. – a special designation earned by communities that meet specific criteria dedicated to nurturing landscape and urban forests, said Charlene Johnson, 673d Civil Engineer Squadron ecologist.

Two paper birch trees were planted; one near the JBER library and another at the Elmendorf Cache on Pease Ave.

Both ceremonies were officiated with the reading of a proclamation by Air Force Col. Scott Matthews, 673d Civil Engineer Group commander, and Air Force Col. George T.M. Dietrich III, JBER and 673d Air Base Wing commander at JBER-R and JBER-E respectively.

In his proclamation Dietrich said, "Trees on JBER beautify our community and enhance our quality of life. I urge all personnel to plant trees to gladden the heart and promote the well-being of this and future generations."

“I’ve always had a special connection to trees. And as a young boy my favorite thing to do was to build forts,” Matthews said

National Arbor Day is always celebrated on the last Friday in April, however, April in Alaska is not an ideal time to plant trees, Johnson said. Alaska’s Arbor Day is celebrated on the third Monday in May.

This was the 51st anniversary of Alaska’s Arbor Day – a holiday whose origins date back to 1872 when then-Nebraska state board of agriculture Julius Sterling Morton proposed a special day be designated to encourage people to plant trees.

“Arbor Day is important because it instills and appreciation for trees,” Johnson said. “Many people don’t ever leave their communities or their neighborhoods. They eat, sleep and play in the same area. Having a community like JBER that really appreciates the value of trees in this living working and playing space is really important.”