The city participated in TD Bank’s Tree Days event for the second straight year, planting 31 seedless trees.
Greg Zeeben, director of community services for Prince Albert, held a tree-planting demonstration before the volunteers went off to plant their own. He estimated that it would take at least two hours to get all of the trees in the ground.
“The city came in on Friday and we prepped the whole site,” he said. “We got all of the holes drilled. We came out the day before and laid it all out as per the design we have at city hall.”
The Tree Days event, which runs at 135 sites across Canada, is expected to see 40,000 trees planted by the end of September.
Representing Tree Canada, Bernadette Slager of the Forestry Saskatchewan Association, expressed Tree Canada’s message to the small gathering of mostly children and their parents.
“What Tree Canada is encouraging is that young people — like you guys — learn why trees are so important,” she said.
Some residents from the neighbourhood came out to assist with the tree planting, including Claire Mascho and her family. Mascho, who lives near the site, said the trees are needed.
“I’m very happy to see some trees,” she said. “We planted trees behind our house so that we could have a few more around here ... It’s just a good feeling to know that you’re helping to beautify your community and the environment.”
Mascho saw the event as a prideful and educational experience for herself and her children.
“I didn’t know you had to make a ring around the trees like that,” she said with regard to one of the steps in the tree-planting process. “We’ve planted many trees and have never done that once.”
alex.dipietro@paherald.sk.ca
