LINGLE – The Town of Lingle Tree Board and Lingle-Fort Laramie Conservation District teamed up to celebrate Arbor Day last Wednesday. 

At noon, members of the Lingle Tree Board, Lingle citizens, and Jeshua Arnusch’s fourth-grade class met at the Old Lingle Cemetery to plant two Blue Spruce trees. In the evening, the Lingle-Fort Laramie Conservation District welcomed members of the community to the Lingle Community Center to learn more about the preparation, planting, pruning, and care for trees.

“Lingle was a Tree City USA for a number of years prior to the COVID pandemic,” Lingle Tree Board Member Logan Dailey said. “After COVID, the town didn’t keep up with the requirements to maintain their Tree City USA status. We are working to get that back and this is all a part of that goal.”

In order for Lingle to achieve their goal, they are required to have an Arbor Day Celebration and enact a proclamation declaring the observance of Arbor Day.

“Whereas trees can be a solution to combating climate change by reducing the erosion of our precious topsoil by wind and water, cutting heating and cooling costs, moderating the temperature, cleaning the air, producing life-giving oxygen, and providing habitat for wildlife, and whereas trees are a renewable source giving us paper, wood for our homes, fuel for our fires, and countless other wood products, and whereas trees in our city increase property values, enhance the economic vitality of business areas, and beautify areas, and beautify our community, and whereas trees – wherever they are planted – are a source of spiritual renewal,” Dailey read. “The Town of Lingle hereby proclaims Friday, April 26, 2024, as Arbor Day in the Town of Lingle, and we urge all citizens to celebrate Arbor Day and to support efforts to protect our trees and woodlands.”

Following the proclamation, Dailey and Lingle Town Supervisor Jeremy Ochsner, assisted Arnusch’s fourth-grade class with planting the two Blue Spruce Trees. Following the planting, Arnusch’s class had the opportunity to help water the new trees using one of Lingle Volunteer Fire Department’s brush trucks. 

At 5:30 p.m., Lingle-Fort Laramie Conservation District Board Member Don McDowell welcomed guests to the tree care workshop held at the Lingle Community Center. Before beginning presentations, attendees were treated to a pulled pork dinner provided by the Fort Laramie Bar and Grill, courtesy of the Lingle-Fort Laramie Conservation District.

“We are fortunate to have had these knowledgeable speakers present their information this evening,” Dailey said. “We started off with a great supper and ended with a great deal of applicable knowledge to better care for the trees in our area. I look forward to putting some of what I learned from this event into practice.”

Donna Hoffman, horticulture extension educator for the University of Wyoming Extension, started the evenings programs by providing information about safe and established practices for pruning trees. Hoffman expressed the importance of using high-quality tools when pruning. She also described the importance of sterilizing tools when pruning to prevent transfer of disease between other trees and plants. 

Amy Smith, extension educator for the University of Wyoming Extension, shared some interesting facts about the water required to maintain healthy trees. Smith expressed the importance of providing trees with adequate water throughout the growing season, and especially providing coniferous trees with plentiful water throughout the entire year. 

Bill Simmons, programs coordinator for the North Platte Valley Conservation District, spoke about the importance of choosing where to plant trees and also to be attentive to the types of trees planted in this area as some trees are not prone to healthy sustained growth in Goshen County’s climate.

Those interested in learning more about the trees on one’s property, or to acquire assistance in determining the correct trees for one’s property, should visit with their local extension office, local conservation district or local tree board. The Goshen County Extension Office can be reached by calling (307) 532-2436. The Lingle Tree Board can be contacted by calling (307) 837-2422. The Lingle-Fort Laramie Conservation District can be reached by calling (307) 534-5768.