Students taking Kevin Cooper’s Horticulture II class at Nevada High School spent time helping City workers with tree-planting efforts on Thursday, Sept. 30.
Parks and Rec Director Tim Hansen said the City received a matching grant through the Iowa DNR to purchase 69 trees, which were planted at Harrington Park, SCORE, Billy Sunday Field area, and across from Billy Sunday Field.
“This was a grant made available to communities affected by the derecho of 2020,” Hansen said. Cities could apply for up to $5,000. The City of Nevada applied for $4,975 and got the entire amount. The nearly $10,000 total was used to purchase over a dozen tree varieties from Country Landscapes, the successful bidder.
Building and Grounds Coordinator, Jayson Kingsbury, selected all the trees and the planting locations. “We have everything from Frontier Elms to Skyline Honeylocusts to various kinds of Oaks,” Hansen noted. He said the goal with the trees picked was to provide good diversity in our tree canopy, enhance the aesthetics of the parks, and provide good shade.
Planting trees on public property allowed for a great hands-on learning opportunity. “It’s always a win-win situation when the City can partner with students in the local schools,” Hansen said.
