Celebrate Arbor Day by planting trees on campus

Come plant a tree

The Sustainable HFC Committee will commemorate Arbor Day by planting trees on [postponed; new date TBD in May]. on SME Drive and Evergreen Road (located on the northeast side of the main campus). You are invited to participate.

The Sustainable HFC Committee is sponsoring this event with the HFC Student Council and the HFC Student Environmental Association.

“Everyone is welcome to attend. It would be wonderful to see a nice turnout. Pictures will be taken at the event and added to our website,” said HFC student support professional Julie Eiermann.

Optional: contribute to HFC Tree Fund

The Sustainable HFC Committee, along with the HFC School of Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM), HFC Facilities and the HFC Foundation, have set up a Tree Fund. This fund establishes a process for the HFC community to donate to the Foundation to have trees planted. It also establishes a process to make the planting happen efficiently, following environmental best practices.

The cost of planting a tree:

• A $300 donation covers the average cost of one tree planting with a donor plaque.
• A $250 donation covers the average cost of one tree planting.
• A donation of less than $250 supports either a milestone tree planting when $250 is accumulated or materials necessary to offset excess costs of other tree plantings.

To donate:

• If you are donating $300 or more, complete the form for the tree with a plaque
• If you are donating $250-$299, complete the form for the tree without a plaque
• If you are donating less than $250, Visit the HFC Foundation website

History of Arbor Day

Arbor Day was founded in 1872 by Julius Sterling Morton, a journalist who later served as President Grover Cleveland’s Secretary of Agriculture. Born in New York, Morton was raised in Monroe and attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

When he moved to Nebraska, Morton planted many rare varieties of trees on the grounds of his estate. As a journalist, Morton used the power of the press and numerous speaking engagements to advocate for what we now call environmental stewardship. The first Arbor Day was celebrated on April 10, 1872, where an estimated 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska. By the 1920s, each state in the United States had passed public laws that stipulated a certain day to be Arbor Day.

In 1885, Arbor Day was first celebrated in Michigan. In 1966, Governor George Romney declared the last Friday in April as Arbor Day in an effort to recognize the importance of trees to the environment and how much their beauty enriches our lives.

Everyone is invited to attend the tree planting. For questions or more information about Arbor Day or Sustainable HFC, contact greenideas@hfcc.edu.