Budding Arborists at UMN Arbor Day 2024

September 03, 2024

This article is part of the Forest Scene newsletter, Issue 31.

A toddler in overalls and a sun hat holds a shovel that's just her size.
At this year's UMN Arbor Day, children attending the Child Development Laboratory School helped plant trees – and provide helpful shade – in their play areas. Photo by Megan Guerber.

Assistant Professor Alicia Coleman’s Arboriculture: Selection and Management of Trees class chose the Child Development Laboratory School (CDL), the University’s early learning center, as the location for the 2024 UMN Arbor Day celebration. The event attracted the youngest volunteer planters in the 26-year history of UMN Arbor Day.

Children attending CDL woke up from their naps just in time to join  in the early afternoon planting activities. They came out in small groups led by their teachers, excited to play in the dirt.

Landcare Supervisor Elliot Redman helped a group plant the first tree of the day, a Scotch pine, in a play area near the school’s entrance. Using appropriately sized shovels from their school, the children helped dig a hole to put the tree in, then dump in dirt and mulch with mini wheel­barrows. After, they gamely joined Landcare staff in packing everything down by stomping with their feet.

However, planting trees was just one of the learning activities Arboriculture students planned for them. They also set up picnic tables with coloring activities and a “tree snack” area with fruit, nuts, and juices to highlight all the cool treats that grow on trees. Recipes following the same theme were also available for families to take and try at home. Plus, Theo Keenan, former president of the Tree Ascension Group, demonstrated how to climb trees safely. The kids loved learning how arborists can safely climb so high – and playing with Keenan, too!

A group of about five young children help add dirt around a newly planted tree. Several adults look on while others assist the children.
Children helped dig holes, hauled materials with mini wheelbarrows, and packed down dirt around the newly planted trees. Photo by Megan Guerber.

Through organizing this public educational event, students gain a multitude of skills needed for various

 natural resource professions, including tree selection and ordering, cross-organizational partnership building, project planning and management, marketing, working with volunteers, and more.

Luckily, CDL and Landcare were incredible event partners. CDL generously provided everything from coloring sheets and toddler-sized wheelbarrows to preparatory exercises that helped their students get excited for UMN Arbor Day, such as learning about and voting on their favorite tree species. Likewise, Landcare, alongside Arboriculture students, took extra care to make planting an enjoyable, rewarding, and accessible experience for the young volunteers and their parents. 

"The decision and foresight by the Arboriculture students to engage their own successors with so many fun activities gives me hope for the future,” Coleman says. “They worked beyond my expectations – going out of their way to help other students throughout the semester, seeing where extra hands were needed and jumping in, and bringing nothing but professionalism and enthusiasm to UMN Arbor Day. I am very proud of all they accomplished this semester.”

Cover of Forest Scene newsletter.

The Forest Scene newsletter is published biannually in the spring and fall, featuring stories and updates from the Department of Forest Resources. Read Issue 31 (2024):