SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Indian Orchard Elementary School celebrated Arbor Day with a tree-planting ceremony in Springfield. U.S. Congressman Richard Neal attended the event and delivered remarks.
Arbor Day, founded in the 1870s, is a holiday celebrated by ceremoniously planting a tree. Springfield holds a “Tree City” designation, stemming from a forestry initiative that began four decades ago.
Mayor Domenic Sarno recognized the day as Arbor Day in Springfield, although he was not present at the ceremony.
Congressman Neal, a U.S. congressman and former mayor of Springfield, delivered a speech at the Indian Orchard Elementary School event. He spoke about the significance of the city’s tree initiatives and the act of planting trees. “Every time I drive through our neighborhoods across Springfield, I’m so proud of what we all did to make it a Tree City, but also to commit ourselves again and again and again, like the students who are all here this morning, to simply planting a tree,” Neal said.
The Springfield Forestry Unit has committed to planting approximately one thousand trees this year. This effort is aimed at further establishing the city as a greener place.
