250 trees given to students at Pepin Park

Sara Sieglock, the secretary of Havre Parks and Recreation, said they gave out around 250 trees Monday morning to school children.

Second-graders from Rocky Boy and Havre were given the option of taking home an Arnold Hawthorn, Black Cherry, Amur Maple or Common Lilac tree sapling as part of the city's Arbor Day celebrations.

The city of Havre was also celebrating its 24th-straight year receiving the Tree City USA award, Sieglock said.

To receive the recognition, a community must meet four criteria: have a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

Havre has $5.30 budgeted for urban reforestation per capita.

"We give out around 500 to 600 trees a year," Sieglock said.

Sieglock said the tree planting in Pepin Park has been organized since around 1996.

Second-grade students from Rocky Boy and Havre came to Pepin Park to receive a tree sapling, which they put into a trimmed down milk jug full of moist dirt for transporting home where they could plant them.

"We do our best to track some of (the trees), and we have some from the beginning of the program," Sieglock said.

Sieglock said they know of many saplings that have become mature trees and that there are probably more than they think.

"It all adds to our community forest," Sieglock said.

The tree planting at Pepin Park began as an effort between Louisiana Pacific, the IGA Hometown Trees Program and the city of Havre.

"After that, we made plans to get the trees every year and keep it going," Sieglock said.

The Urban Reforestation Task Force of Havre gives seedlings to schools from Cottonwood, Box Elder, Davies School and others every year, as well as the Hutterite colonies and Chester for their tree program. Sieglock said they are also taking trees to the Havre-Hill County Library Wednesday as part of their Storytime program.

Louisiana Pacific is no longer a sponsor of the event, but Gary & Leo's Fresh Foods is still the biggest donor of the initiative, along with Culligan and Coca-Cola Bottling Co.

The event was organized and executed with the assistance of the Hill County Conservation District, the Water Conservation District, the Bullhook Blossoms Garden Club and other volunteers around the community, Sieglock said.