City of Rochester Celebrates Arbor Day with Holy Family 3rd Graders!

On a sunny Thursday, April 27th, the Rochester Tree Committee celebrated Arbor Day by hosting a tree planting ceremony on the campus of Holy Family Regional School in Rochester for 102 excited 3rd grade students. Each student received a White Pine sapling to take home to nurture and plant, as well as coloring pages of trees courtesy of the Arbor Day Foundation.

A 14’ Sugar Maple was planted in front of the school following a short ceremony that included Holy Family Principal Jon Myers, City Council Member and Tree Committee Chair Mark Albrecht, and City Manager Nik Banda. The Rochester Department of Public Works staff were on hand to facilitate the planting with shovels, rakes, dirt, and mulch. They were joined by the Rochester Fire Department who brought a fire engine and water truck to give the newly planted tree its first drink of water.

Holy Family 3rd Graders Excited to Plant a Tree!

Principal Myers welcomed the students and attendees, and remarked on how they were studying about trees in their 3rd grade classes. Mr. Albrecht led the students in a rousing cheer of “We Love Trees” and shared the story of how both his daughters attended Holy Family and a sapling his daughter received when she was their age is now a 40’ tree in his backyard. Mr. Banda, a certified Forester talked about the importance of trees to the environment.

After a ceremonial first shovel of dirt by Principal Myers, Mr. Albrecht and Mayor Pro-Tem Nancy Salvia, the children took over and helped fill the hole with dirt. A long line of students then helped bring the hose from the fire truck to the tree and were excited when the water was turned on and the tree watered. Finally, students then grabbed handfuls of mulch to finish the planting. On the tree was placed a commemorative butterfly metallic emblem that read, “This tree was planted in celebration of Arbor Day 2023”.

The Rochester Tree Committee partnered with Rachel Williams of the City Beautiful Committee and Marilyn Trent of the Rochester Pollinators as all our efforts are aligned to protect our environment. Both were on hand to participate in the ceremony.

Mark Albrecht, Tree Committee Chair added, “The smiles on the children’s faces made this one of the most memorable Arbor Day tree planting events we’ve ever had in Rochester. This was a team effort with the Holy Family Administration and 3rd grade teachers, the Rochester DPW team and Fire Department, and the Tree Committee that planned this wonderful event.”

Nik Banda, City Manager added, “The children knew all about the importance of trees from their studies and asked great questions about the saplings they would be taking home and growing.”

Mark Albrecht, Nancy Salvia, and Jon Myers Help Out!

About the Rochester Tree Committee

Established in May 2020, the Rochester Tree Committee was formed and focused its efforts on two major goals. First to establish an annual tree report to include tree canopy coverage and secondly to allocate the annual tree fund and invest in expanding our tree canopy throughout the city.

The Tree Committee is made up of Chair and Councilmember Mark Albrecht, Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Salvia, Councilmember Steve Sage, and residents Melissa Weisse, and William Thomas. Nik Banda, City Manager, and our resident certified forester provides valuable guidance on trees to the committee.

Contact: Mark Albrecht – Rochester City Council Member

mjahrcounsel@gmail.com

malbrecht@rochestermi.org

Or call 248.872.1133



About the City of Rochester

Incorporated as a Village in 1869, the City of Rochester has pristine small town charm, beautiful natural features, and proximity to everything you need to live, work, and play.

Nestled on the eastern side of Oakland County, Rochester prides itself on being a family-oriented community that stays true to its rich history, while always keeping an eye on the future. A community of around 13,000 people across a four-square mile area.

In a recently completed City-wide survey, out of nearly 1,240 households that responded, 98% reported that the quality of life they experience here as “Excellent” or “Good”. Among the other categories that over 90% of our community recognized as outstanding features are our services provided by the City, the appearance of residential neighborhoods and downtown area, the feeling of safety in the City, and the quality and maintenance of the rivers, trails and parks in the community.

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May 22, 2023, City of Rochester and Rochester.Life