Arbor Day Community Forestry Events

Hello, Crawfordsville tree huggers! Crawfordsville District Public Library and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Community and Urban Forestry team are hosting a special Arbor Day Community Event on Saturday, April 26, from 10 am until 12 pm at the library. An introduction to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Community and Urban Forestry program will be presented, as well as a discussion on the benefits that trees provide our community, and how IDNR can assist. This event will also highlight basic information on municipal tree governance and resources that the community can use to help grow the tree canopy in Crawfordsville.

Attendees at this event will receive a free DNR native tree seedling (Indiana’s state tree, the tulip tree), while supplies last! Free tree-related materials on proper tree planting and care, tree selection for planting the right tree in the right place, and more! Our partner organizations will be available for questions after the program as well.

We will also have a brief history of Crawfordsville community forestry endeavors presented by Crawfordsville Main Street, an active participant in local Arbor Day activities and related projects. Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District is also a partner organization that assists CMS with various tree-related projects, such as the Callery Pear Removal Project in downtown Crawfordsville. Past city tree inventory information will briefly be discussed, as well as past community forestry practices.

Additional discussion includes Crawfordsville’s plan for changes to local planning and/or zoning ordinances as they relate to trees, which will be presented by Crawfordsville’s City Planner. Finally, there will be a brainstorming session with the Indiana DNR Community and Urban Forestry team to determine what the future holds for members of the Crawfordsville community. All community members are encouraged to participate and share ideas on what they would like to see regarding tree canopy development in the city. Your voice matters!

On Friday, April 25, at 10 am, Crawfordsville Main Street will also have an Arbor Day Event at 200 E. Pike St. This event will include a proper tree planting demonstration and possibly a pruning workshop.

If you are interested in learning more about trees, community and urban forestry, or how you can become involved to advocate for trees, contact the Library Naturalist for more information. For specific tree identification books, the library has several resources in our nonfiction collection including “Twelve Trees: The Deep Roots of Our Future” by Daniel Lewis (582.13 Lewis), “Native Trees of the Midwest” by Sally Weeks (582.16 Wee), “101 Trees of Indiana” by Marion Jackson (582.16 Jac), “Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs” by Michael Dirr (635.9 Dir), “The Hidden Life of Trees” by Peter Wohlleben (582.16 Woh) and “Trees of North America” by National Audubon Society (634.9097 Nat).

If you have questions regarding this Arbor Day event, other tree-related resources in Indiana or Crawfordsville, or tree information in general, please contact the Adult Services Department at 765-362-2242, ext. 3, or the Library Naturalist at smorrissette@cdpl.lib.in.us. The library is open Monday through Thursday from 9 am until 9 pm; Friday and Saturday 9 am until 5 pm; Sunday from 1 pm until 5 pm.