Rexburg’s branching out: City launches $1 million trees project on Arbor Day
David Pace
REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) – More than 100 volunteers celebrated Arbor Day today in Rexburg, braving a chilly afternoon to plant 70 new trees at the DONJO Sports complex.
“You should go out and plant trees. It’s a good thing, and it helps the community and the air,” said Madison Junior High School athlete Jack Siddoway.
Madison High School’s football and baseball teams assisted, alongside Brigham Young University-Idaho students and other community members.
“My little sister comes and plays softball here almost every Saturday,” said Madison Junior High School Student Body President Bryce Rasmussen. “It’s going to be fun having a whole bunch of trees to look at and inspire from.”
The trees were purchased through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Department.
“It’s a $1 million dollar grant, so we’re going to be planting trees all over the city all summer long,” said Rexburg Mayor Jerry Merrill. “We’re going to be planting just hundreds, maybe even thousands of trees – as many of them as we can get done for a million dollars.”
The group planted six-to-seven-foot tall Bosnian pines, as well as 12-to-15-foot maples to act as windbreakers.
“You see them get just bigger and bigger, and you can say, ‘Hey, I planted, I picked up that tree. Now it’s so big you can’t even carry it any more,'” said JustServe volunteer Emmett Mangus.
Rexburg has long been recognized as a Tree City USA, a designation by the Arbor Day Foundation honoring communities that prioritize the health and vitality of their tree canopy.
Spreading bark and filling holes, volunteers of all ages pitched a hand to raise a new windbreak on the park’s border.
“We like to call ourselves America’s Family community, so we want to have places where families can come and do all kinds of sports and get the kids more active instead of being in on the screens all day,” he said. “Hopefully, that will help families to be stronger.”
The new park, named in honor of baseball benefactors Don and Joan Chicos, opened in 2023 and boasts four ball fields.
The efforts are part of what will soon be a new field at the sports complex.
“This area here will be a multi-purpose grassy area where you can play baseball, softball, soccer, and different things like that,” Merrill said.
Madison School District football and baseball players pitch in to complete a tree-planting project on Arbor Day.