VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – A dedicated group of Valley City volunteers (the Valley City Beautification Committee) planted 41 trees in four quadrants of the city in early October.

The volunteers wrote the grant which was submitted by the city to the North Dakota Forest Service (NDFS.) Through donations and volunteer time the committee was able to match the $10,000 received through the (NDFS.) The bid for providing the trees and leading the planting was from Pine Country Nursery.

The Beautification Committee would like to thank Leevers North and Jane and Tony Diemert for their donation in dollars and in time committed to caring for the trees in the future. Also thanks go out to the Valley City Fire Department for the watering of trees planted through past tree grants and their future commitment to these 41 trees. “We are very grateful to these volunteers; this tree grant and others in past years could not have been accomplished without their help,” states Sharon Buhr, volunteer chair.

The ND Forest Service recommend planting a variety of trees, and this grant included 13 different species including less familiar yet hardy trees such as the Manchurian Alder, the Autumn Splendor Buckeye and the Taylor Juniper. The plantings include the Rosebud Center, College Street, 6th Street and 4th Ave NW, and 3rd Ave and 4th Street NE.

Buhr notes that the average American emits 16 metric tons of CO2 each year, contributing to climate change, and to offset that we each need to plant 8-10 trees every year. The Beautification Committee encourages everyone to help our planet and consider planting a couple of trees.

Feature photo; The Beautification Committee volunteers include (back row) L to R; Trinity Nelson, Kara Anderson, Dan Preston (Pine Country Nursery owner), Becky Heise, Ryan Bellomo (staff at Pine Country), and Mary Ann Vig. Front row: L to R; Madeline Luke and Sharon Buhr; volunteers who helped plant that are not shown include Mary Lee Nielson, James Buhr and Bobby Koepplin.