Keeping the city green: Milwaukee celebrates Arbor Day by planting 100 trees



MILWAUKEE -- It's a day for the trees and the people who helped raise them -- literally.

"Today we planted 100 trees out here in celebration of our 100th anniversary and we've established a tree centennial collection out here," said David Sivyer with the Milwaukee Forestry Services.

Milwaukee Arbor Day celebration



Friday morning, April 27, hundreds of people stepped out onto the grass.

"Well we're going on a field trip and we're going to plant some trees," said fifth grader at the Tamarach Waldorf School, Elka Desmond.

To get a better sense of the group -- that helps maintain the city's green space.

Milwaukee Arbor Day celebration



"They go up in the tree, and I think they like give it a little haircut?," third grader Avery Britton said.

Milwaukee Arbor Day celebration



Arborists rate Milwaukee as one of the best cities in the world in regards to its ability to integrate urban living with local trees.

"It's good to get dirty every once in a while," Desmond said. "And they make it look nice as well."

Milwaukee Arbor Day celebration



City officials say that there are 200,000 street trees they have to maintain and 1.4 million trees citywide. The area's 185 employees in the forestry department have their work cut out for them when it comes to keeping them alive and well.

"It's really fun and I wish I could come here everyday and plant some trees," Britton said.

Out with the old, and in with the new. Each kid that came out is going to be given a sapling of a tree in order to inspire these future arborists.