Jackson Celebrates Arbor Day with Tree Plantings

From left, Jackson Mayor Daniel Mahoney, Diane Washington, and Jacob Inosencio plant a cherry tree during an Arbor Day celebration at 1104 Maple Ave., Jackson.   Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV News.

By Jeff Steers
JTV News

(April 28, 2023 9:45 PM ET) Jacob Inosencio from the City of Jackson Environmental Commission said the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.

The second best, he said, it today. 

So that is what he and more than a dozen citizens did during the Arbor Day Celebration event at 1104 Maple Ave in Jackson.

This event was a collaborative event between the Environmental Commission, Young People of Purpose, and Grow Jackson. The Environmental Commission has been working towards an application for Tree City USA designation and among the four requirements to apply, an annual Arbor Day Celebration is one of the necessary components.

The other three requirements are a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, and a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita.

Inosencio said the Environmental Commission is working toward the other three requirements to make Jackson a Tree City USA member. 

Arbor day is a day for planting and caring for trees and celebrating the benefits of trees. It was first proposed by J. Sterling Morton, an American journalist and politician, who wanted to encourage tree planting in Nebraska. Arbor Day is observed on the last Friday in April in the United States, but some states and countries have different dates based on their local planting times.

Jackson Mayor Daniel Mahoney read a proclamation for the Arbor Day celebration. 

A sweet cherry tree and a sour cheery tree was planted at 1104 Maple Ave. and hosted by Diane Washington. 

She is the founder and executive director of Young People of Purpose. 

The group was founded nearly a decade ago and currently has 15 junior high/high school students. Washington said the group produces gardens, runs businesses, along with a number of other enterprises to keep the youth of the area productive. 

Additionally, People for the Parks and Trails, Grow Jackson, and Young People of Purpose are hosting a volunteer event at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center on Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Grow Jackson is hosting a volunteer event at the St. Mary’s Community Garden on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. across from the YMCA on Mechanic St.