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Dane County Tree Board reports large turnout for nursery giveaways and school events; planted more than 300 saplings at recent field day
Summary
Board members described multiple outreach events, including a large school field trip and community giveaways; staff reported planting over 300 saplings and said events boosted interest in conservation careers.
Dane County Tree Board members reported several successful outreach events, including large Arbor Day and Earth Day programs, nursery visits to schools and community giveaways that staff said resulted in hundreds of saplings being planted.
At a Tree Board meeting, staff and board members described an Arbor Day field day that drew more than 300 students and included stations on forestry, water quality and arboriculture; organizers said participants planted “more than 300 saplings” during the events. The board described a range of activities: bucket-truck rides, climbing stations, microscopes, wood‑working demonstrations and sapling giveaways.
Why it matters: the events are intended to increase tree canopy, connect youth to arboriculture pathways and support recruitment for local conservation programs. Board members said the events helped raise interest in county conservation positions and the county—s conservation academy.
Details from the meeting Adam Albus, a county staff member who presented project updates, said the Tree Board visited the Summerson Learning Center and LaFollette (an arboretum collaboration) to distribute saplings and engage students. Members described a large Arbor Day event with roughly 300 students that ran several hours and featured hands‑on stations. Staff said they planted “more than 300 saplings” across events and shared addresses for many giveaway recipients to map distribution.
Board members called the field day “organized chaos” and said many stations were well received. Staff noted that several recent county crew members who are former program participants have been hired into local conservation positions; one crew member was scheduled for a city interview the following day. Members also discussed logistical lessons (signage, table visibility, and how to manage large groups of students).
Ending: The board discussed continuing nursery giveaways and improving event signage and outreach materials. Members said they will coordinate volunteer and logistics planning for upcoming events and consider tabletop and sandwich‑board signs to boost public recognition at future outreach.
