City Forester Steve Blue and a group of Kansas Wesleyan University students celebrated National Arbor Day and Kansas Arbor day by planting a crabapple tree near the campus. “Each state can pick their own date and we are aligned with National Arbor Day,” Blue said.

The tree was selected from a local nursery. According to Blue, the day it was selected it had purple blooms, making it perfect for the KWU campus.

“I have planted a number of these (trees) in our park system,” Blue said. “They do really well. They will not only exist but thrive. That is what we want, for them to actively grow.”

Armed with purple shovels, the students dug the hole for the tree while Blue talked about the role trees play in the Salina Community. According to him, there are about 9,000 street trees in the city. Street trees are located between the sidewalk and the curb.

Blue said that about 15 years ago, there were around 14,000 street trees in the city. To help boost the declining numbers, city officials have created a tree program that gives residents a rebate for planting trees. Residents could be rebated up to half of the cost if the receipt is turned into the City.

“It also gives me a chance to guide the citizens in planting the right trees in the right place,” Blue said.

According to an article in Time, Arbor Day started 145 years ago on the mostly treeless Nebraska prairie.