'TNT' Program Expands District Tree Canopy
Students across Lincoln Public Schools got their hands dirty this October, planting trees and learning about environmental stewardship thanks to a partnership with PlantNebraska, formerly known as the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.
LPS received 10 trees through the Trees for Nebraska Towns program. The program focuses on community plantings with a direct public benefit and seeks to increase the size and resilience of Nebraska’s community forests.
Prior to each planting, the LPS Grounds Department dug holes and set up supplies for students to use.
At Brownell Elementary, 4th graders in the STEAM Class planted a ginkgo tree in early October. Assistant Grounds Superintendent Troy Gold demonstrated each step, allowing students to both document the process and perform the planting.
Around the same time, the Prickly Planet Protectors Club at Holmes Elementary planted two catalpa trees next to their school garden. Club members worked together to make sure all of the soil and mulch around each tree formed a perfect circle.
Later in the month, students at Lefler Middle School stuck around after school to help plant the site’s four new trees: two Schuette’s oaks and two sycamores. Most of the student volunteers said that the afternoon marked the first time they had ever planted a tree!
Wysong Elementary School’s student council convenes once a month before school, and used their morning meeting this October to plant three trees on their school campus. Wysong is now home to a gingko tree named Goldie, a bur oak named Billy and a cypress named Iris.
In addition to the hands-on component, each school received care instructions and a fact sheet about the species they planted. The ten trees will provide shade, wildlife habitat and continued educational opportunities for years to come!
Interested in learning more? Check out these additional tree resources:
- LPS Tree Dashboard: Explore the district tree canopy by school or by tree species.
- PlantNebraska Community Forest videos: Learn the basics of about community forests and their impacts.
- PlantNebraska speaker request: Dive into a variety of topics from expert local speakers! Presentations are available to schools, student clubs, workshops and more.
