Photo By Scott Sturkol | Fort McCoy community members plant trees May 1, 2024, during the 2024 Arbor Day...... read more read more
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The 2024 Fort McCoy Arbor Day Celebration was delayed from April 26 to May 1 because of inclement weather but it didn’t stop dozens of people from arriving to the event to plant trees for the good of the future.
Fort McCoy held its 2024 Arbor Day event with community members that included adults and children in attendance. And they in turn planted more than 600 trees in a plot near building 102 on the cantonment area at the installation — an area adjacent to 2023 Arbor Day tree plantings on post.
During the observance, Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Messenger and other installation personnel and children from the post Child Development Center planted the hundreds of tree seedlings in rows that were pre-dug by Directorate of Public Works (DPW) staff.
Messenger addressed everyone, but he specifically addressed the children in attendance to the event.
“Who’s ready to plant some trees?” Messenger said, speaking specifically to the children. “The trees we plant today are going to grow up big and strong. … You are about to make a difference on Fort McCoy.”
And at the end, they all said in unison, “Happy Arbor Day!”
Mentzel reviewed Arbor Day’s origins and discussed the post earning another Tree City USA award from the National Arbor Day Foundation.
“This is a great day to plant trees. And Fort McCoy has been named a Tree City USA once again,” Mentzel said. “This is our 35th year in a row being a Tree City, and we have certain requirements to fulfill that. Basically, it means that we take care of our trees.”
According to history.com, the origins of Arbor Day dates back to the early 1870s in Nebraska City, Neb. A journalist by the name of Julius Sterling Morton moved to the state with his wife, Caroline, in 1854. The couple purchased 160 acres in Nebraska City and planted a wide variety of trees and shrubs in what was a primarily a flat stretch of desolate plain.
Morton later became editor of the state’s first newspaper, Nebraska City News, which became a platform for Morton to spread his knowledge of trees and to stress their ecological importance within Nebraska.
On Jan. 7, 1872, Morton proposed a day that would encourage all Nebraskans to plant trees in their community. An agriculture board agreed, and Arbor Day was born. The first Arbor Day was held April 10, 1872.
The tradition spread quickly. Within 20 years, Arbor Day had reached a large swath of the nation and was celebrated in every state except for Delaware. It wasn’t until 1970, however, that Arbor Day became recognized nationwide, thanks to President Richard Nixon.
This move was in line with other environmentally friendly actions taken by Nixon in the 1970s, including the passing of the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Protection Act, and more.
Mentzel said the Fort McCoy Arbor Day event is always coordinated by the installation Forestry program.
Working together, it took the attendees less than an hour, maybe 45 minutes, to get all the trees planted. Messenger and his helper had planted dozens of trees, with his helper giving many of trees their own name.
The Arbor Day ceremony tree planting was just a small portion of the number of trees being planted around post in May. Thousands more trees were planted on both the cantonment area and in training areas on South Post just like in past years to bolster the installation’s forested areas for the future, Mentzel said.
According to the National Arbor Day Foundation at https://www.arborday.org, trees have many benefits, especially when looking at biodiversity.
“Healthy forests, whether in natural or urban spaces, are key to the health of some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world,” the website states. “Trees support wildlife and aquatic life by providing habitat and helping to keep waterways healthy. This ensures that ecosystem balance can be maintained, and biodiversity can thrive.
“Forests rich in biodiversity benefit the human population, too,” the website states. “Trees and other forest life work together to ensure a clean source of drinking water, buffer against extreme weather, provide medicines, offer outdoor recreation, and enrich human culture.”
Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.”
Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
| Date Taken: | 05.07.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.07.2024 23:52 |
| Story ID: | 470603 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 548 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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