| NICI
celebrates Arbor Day
Arbor Day is a National Holiday that is celebrated in all 50 states as well as many countries around the world.  The
idea originated in Nebraska in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton. It is
estimated that over one million seedlings were planted on that first day.
The holiday is currently celebrated in Idaho on the last Friday in April. However, due to seasonal variation in precipitation and local variations in elevation the holiday is celebrated throughout the world anywhere from the end of March to the middle of May. Over 1.5 billion trees are grown by nurseries in the United States annually. Seedlings are provided by an annual grant from the Idaho Department of Lands with money received from the sale of specialty “Forest” license plates. Money collected from sales of these plates help to support reforestation and education projects in Idaho. The North Idaho Correctional Institution in Cottonwood celebrated Arbor Day on April 16 this year. Inmates planted 200 Ponderosa pine seedlings outside the institution. In addition to receiving instruction about how to properly plant a tree, students from Mr. Rehder's math class and Ms. Clark’s horticultural class were introduced to field sampling techniques used by timber cruisers at the Idaho Department of Lands. Inmates had the opportunity to measure tree heights and diameters and received basic instruction in timber cruising and field data collection techniques. |
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