New Glarus received its twenty-second consecutive Tree City USA award and a total of 25 trees were planted in New Glarus on Friday, May 5th, as part of the village's annual Arbor Day tree planting.

Adult volunteers and New Glarus High School students, under the direction of Dan Ziegler, joined Village Forester Paul Jennrich in planting trees throughout the village.

This year's planting included a special planting at Valle Tell Soccer Park. The Town of New Glarus Parks Commission provided a donation to purchase Oaks, Baldcypress and Larch that were planted adjacent to the newly renovated stream bank at the park.

At noon the group ate a picnic lunch at Village Park. Funding for the lunch was provided by donations from Dan Gartzke and Tracey Schwalbe, Beth Blahut, Mike and Theresa Colney and the Argue-Ment Golf Course. Other generous community members donated food items for the lunch. The New Glarus FFA Alumni provided a special gift and recognition to the longtime lunch organizers for their efforts to prepare and serve the volunteers a picnic lunch.

Also during the event the National Arbor Day Foundation's Tree City award was presented to the community of New Glarus by Brian Wahl of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. It is the twenty-second year New Glarus has received this national recognition.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.

Photo courtesy of Paul Jennrich

Students and volunteers planted a total of 25 trees throughout the village on May 5th, as part of the annual Arbor Day Celebration.

New Glarus has met the four standards to become a Tree City USA community: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

For twenty-one years, the village has been planting park and terrace trees in celebration of Arbor Day as part of its urban forestry program. Adult and student volunteers have planted over 1,000 trees in the village since the planting program began.

Anyone wishing to purchase terrace trees for next year's planting, volunteer for next year's event or provide a donation to help fund tree planting may contact Village Forester Paul Jennrich at (608) 527-5833.