Brown County Intermediate School students stepped out of the classroom and over to the town’s new park April 26 to watch the Nashville Tree Board plant a black gum tree in honor of Arbor Day.
The sixth-graders are on the school’s recycling team led by paraprofessional Kimmy Clayton. They go around the school collecting recyclable items and then bring them to the Brown County Recycle Center, BCIS Assistant Principal Thor Davis said.
Clayton and Davis walked the five students over to the park to see the tree be planted. The students had many questions about trees for board member Rick Patrick, arborist and owner of Rick Patrick Tree Care.
Patrick answered those questions as fellow board member Mark Shields dug the hole for the young tree. Board member Cathy Paradise was also in attendance along with Nashville Town Council members Nancy Crocker and Anna Hofstetter.
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Do you need to use additional good soil other than what’s in the ground?
Patrick told the students that the dirt already in the park would work because if you fill the hole with good, store-bought soil, “the tree will get lazy.”
How long will it take the tree to grow?
A tree will reach its maximum height between 60 and 70 years, Patrick said. “They grow nice and slow. They have all the time in the world,” he said.
How far apart do you need to plant trees?
Patrick said it depends on the tree. “You have to know what you’re planting,” he told the students.
How do we protect trees on windy days?
“Plant it well,” Patrick said. But the tree also needs to be able to move within its hole as it grows to stimulate cell growth and develop a root system, he added. Those roots will anchor the tree to the ground and allow it to hold itself up.
