Arbor Day celebration is April 26

SPOONER — The City of Spooner has proclaimed Friday, April 26, as Arbor Day, and the public is invited to an event at Railroad Park that day.

Spooner Elementary School fourth-grade students, along with Mayor Gary Cuskey and the Tree Board, will be planting a tree at 1:30 p.m. at the park. Cuskey will read the official proclamation.

Spooner was named a Tree City USA in 2023 by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor its commitment to urban forest management. The city achieved this recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: maintaining a tree board or department; having a tree care ordinance; dedicating an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita; and hosting an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

As a registered Tree City, City of Spooner property owners can receive up to $50 per tree for appropriate trees planted either on boulevards or within the right-of-way. Rebates are given in each calendar year on a first-come, first-serve basis until funds are expended. An applicant may apply for a maximum of one tree per parcel per year, a maximum of two parcels per year.

Contact Diggers Hotline at 800.242.8511 for utility locations and provide the ticket number with the application, and you must flag or paint the proposed eligible location and contact Street Supt. Dave “Ole” Olson at 715.416.2229 for a site inspection. In order to be eligible for the rebate, the full application must be returned to City Hall for approval before planting.