Students help Tree Warden Leah Wallnerpack down the dirt to keep the tree snug in the ground.
Reminder Publishing photos by Peter Tuohy
LONGMEADOW — The sun shined down on a cheery circle of fourth grade students from Center Elementary School on April 29 as they planted a new tree and participated in workshops to grow their tree knowledge and celebrate Arbor Day.
This was one out of four separate events that also took place at Blueberry Hill School, Wolf Swamp Road School and St. Mary’s Academy.
The celebration began with students filing into the Center School cafeteria with a buzz of excitement before separating into two groups for different workshops, one led by Tree Committee Chair Kathy Kucab covering the vast reasons trees are so important.
The other workshop was on identifying trees by things like bark, leaves and branches and was led by Abbie Stone from the DPW. One student correctly identified an oak tree just by the bark’s characteristics.
Tree Warden Leah Wallner kicks off the morning with an introduction. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy 
Students gather around Tree Committee Chair Kathy Kucab for a presentation on the importance of trees in daily life. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy 
Abbie Stone from the DPW has students guess the type of tree based on its branches. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy 
Tree Committee member Lou Kornet assists Wallner in planting a tree outside Center Elementary School. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy 
A herd of fourth grade students circle around Wallner as she teaches them the proper way to plant a tree. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy 
One student assists in raking out the soil surrounding the tree. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy 
Kornet hands out Eastern Red Bud seedlings to excited students. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy
Tree Committee member Lou Kornet said these celebrations are a big deal for the students and date back 61 years. Tree Warden Leah Wallner said about 23,815 tree seedlings have been given to students in those 61 years, with students this year taking home an Eastern Red Bud seedling.
The morning came to a conclusion with a lesson from Wallner on the proper way to plant a tree, being assisted by the group of students with making sure the tree wasn’t crooked, pushing the soil down and raking it evenly. The students closed out the celebration with chanting “The Lorax” once the tree was firm in the ground.
Wallner told Reminder Publishing that the town has a really fun program and that she feels lucky to be a part of it.
“I think my favorite part of the Arbor Day celebrations was showing the students that growing up and becoming a professional doesn’t have to be boring, and that everybody belongs in the forestry world,” Wallner said. “As a young woman, I had to find a lot of inspiration within myself because I rarely saw people who looked like me working in labor roles. Forestry and tree work is still a male-dominated field, and it is highly important to me to show the upcoming generation that regardless of who you are, you belong in whatever role you are passionate about. Inspiring students to find beauty and value in natural resources, and motivating them to not just look at trees but truly see their complexity, will hopefully leave them curious to learn more.”
She said one of the most memorable aspects of this year’s celebration is when a young girl came up to her after the tree planting and asked if she could be “assistant tree warden.”
“It was heartwarming, I felt like the presentation really resonated with this individual,” Wallner said. “Moments like that keep me moving along when the job gets tough and I hope to bump into her again many years from now at a future arborist expo.”
