In celebration of the upcoming Arbor Day, Kansas Wesleyan University hosted its eighth annual tree planting Monday afternoon. Students, faculty and staff of KWU, and City of Salina Parks and Forestry workers assisted with the planting of two Shumard oaks.

The KWU Tree Advisory Committee, composed of students, community members and faculty, has been working during the past eight years to create, update and maintain a tree inventory to identify, document and tag the more than 200 trees on campus.

Kansas State University Horticulture Extension Agent Jason Graves told KSAL News it takes a team effort.

Trees create biodiversity, provide countless ecosystem services, enhance property value and improve our quality of life and health. Shumard oaks are fast growing and drought tolerant, with acorns that will delight the campus squirrels.

Monday’s plantings put KWU on schedule for its eighth consecutive year of Tree Campus Higher Education recognition.

The city of Salina is also recognized as a long-time Tree City USA Community.

The two Shumard oaks planted on Monday are the first two on the KWU campus. The school plans to plant five more oak trees in the near future as well.

Arbor Day is a yearly holiday dedicated to planting, nurturing, and celebrating trees to promote environmental stewardship. It is celebrated on the last Friday of April, April 24th this year.

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For more information on the Arbor Day Foundation, visit www.arborday.org.