Planting trees has become quite fashionable, but here in Nebraska, we’ve understood the importance of planting trees since 1872, when more than a million trees were planted in our state, giving rise to Arbor Day being a nationally-recognized holiday.

Planting trees with our young Nebraskans teaches them about nature – both on the outside and the inside. It teaches them the importance of ongoing care and environmental stewardship. It teaches them about empathy for other living things and how to work together.

A tree is a gift that can last many human lifetimes. In twenty years, when both the kindergartners and the trees have grown much taller, our young Nebraskans can point to that tree and say, “I helped plant that tree when I was five years old. It was shorter than I was. And now look at it.