Trees are valuable to our community

Arbor Day -- it's a frustrating holiday but practical all the same. Frustrating, because it's hard to pin down. Practical, because it works.

Where else but Nebraska could such a holiday originate?

Do a Google search of Arbor Day, and you may be frustrated to find it observed anywhere from January and February in the southern states, to May in the north. That's because it often coincides with the best time to plant trees in a particular climate, which makes it practical for growing trees.

Most often, it's celebrated on the last Friday in April, as it was in McCook today with the planting of a tree at the new McCook Elementary School. That's close to the birthday of the founder, J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska City, on April 22.

Transplanted from Detroit in 1854, Morton and his wife quickly surrounded their home with trees, shrubs and flowers. After he founded Nebraska's first newspaper, he used its pages to promote tree planting to an audience that also missed the trees of their eastern homes.

At the first official Arbor Day celebration in 1885, students all over Nebraska City planted trees, then joined 1,000 people parading to the city's opera house to hear a speech from the holiday's founder.

Trees do use water, a point that is part of the Republican River Compact controversy, but whether to remove them from the valley, and how many to remove, is a debate that will have to take place another time.

But now is a good time to remind ourselves of how valuable a tree can be in -- especially in Southwest Nebraska.

Among the wealth of information collected on the National Arbor Day Foundation's Web site are the following facts:

* The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to 10 room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day -- U.S. Department of Agriculture.

* Trees can boost the market value of your home by an average of 6 or 7 percent -- Dr. Lowell Ponte.

* Landscaping, especially with trees, can increase property values as much as 20 percent -- Management Information Services/CMA.

* One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people. -- U.S. Department of Agriculture.

* Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30 percent and can save 20-50 percent in energy used for heating -- USDA Forest Service.

* Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30 percent and can save 20-50 percent in energy used for heating -- USDA Forest Service.

* Trees can be a stimulus to economic development, attracting new businesses and tourism. Commercial retail areas are more attractive to shoppers, apartments rent more quickly, tenants stay longer and space in a wooded setting is more valuable to sell or rent -- The National Arbor Day Foundation.

The City of McCook recognizes the value of trees, offering a rebate of $50 per tree from an approved list, purchased locally. For more information, contact the city offices, (308) 345-2022, or your local tree vendor.