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Garden Club members learn what makes GB “Tree City U.S.A.”
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COURTESY PHOTO Toni Rice, member of the Great Bend City Tree Board, shares with members of Great Bend Garden Club the many projects and activities of the Tree Board throughout its history and continuing each year. A brochure of their activities is available through the City.

During the November meeting of the Great Bend Garden Club, Toni Rice, a member of the City of Great Bend’s Tree Board, shared many of their activities both past and present. Their purpose is to plant and maintain the trees in the city. 

Their projects include caring for trees in both city owned land and sometimes property owned by city residents. A major project has been the development and maintaining of the Argonne Forest located on the northern side of Veteran’s Park. A pathway through the Forest takes you past many trees that are recommended for our location and climate and which are identified by signs containing their names and characteristics. 

A Boy Scout troop in Great Bend has helped water the trees when necessary. The recent storm in Great Bend completely destroyed the arbor in the Argonne Forest built by the Tree Board. It contained historical information and photos of the Great Bend soldiers who fought a winning battle in the Argonne Forest of France during World War I. The information in the arbor has been preserved for future use when the arbor is rebuilt.

Additional projects of the Tree Board include educational activities in the Great Bend schools. An activity with fourth graders included providing them with red bud seedlings they can take home and plant in their own yards. 

Another activity with fifth graders is a poster contest where the winners get to plant a tree in the Argonne Forest and their posters are posted in the Great Bend Tribune. 

The Tribune also posts photos in the fall that are submitted for the Tree Board’s “Trick or Tree” photos of trees contest; and in the spring the results of the Tree Board’s “Poet Tree” contest where, in a variety of poetic styles, poems about trees are submitted.

The Tree Board also sometimes helps homeowners with rebates when a completely dead tree needs to be removed from a yard and can give up to $75 to help plant a new tree if the tree meets some conditions required by the Tree Board.

The projects of Great Bend’s Tree Board have made it possible for Great Bend to be designated as a “Tree City U.S.A.” and the city signs at each entrance to Great Bend announce this designation.

The Great Bend Garden Club will meet next at 10 a.m. on Dec. 21 at the Great Bend Senior Center. New members and visitors are welcome.