KIMBALL -- The Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Kimball as a Tree City USA for the 32nd year in a row.

The achievement honors the town’s commitment to effective urban forest management. Kimball achieved this recognition by maintaining a tree board, having a tree care ordinance, dedicating an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita, and hosting an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

Kimball’s tree board ensures that the city trees are healthy and nurtured.

Mayor John Morrison says, “This recognition means that people in Kimball care enough to have a board like that to take care of the trees in Nebraska.”

Morrison urges the citizens of Kimball to celebrate Arbor Day in support of protecting the trees and woodlands.

“You plant trees for the future, you don’t plant them for now,” he said.

Arbor Day is April 26 and Kimball’s Arbor Day celebration this year will be at Gotte Park on April 25 at 2 p.m.

The Mary Lynch Elementary fourth graders are coming to the celebration to learn how to plant trees by planting their very own in Gotte Park.

Chief Executive of the Arbor Day Foundation Dan Lambe said in a statement: "Tree City USA communities see the positive effects of an urban forest firsthand. The trees being planted and cared for by Kimball are ensuring that generations to come will enjoy a better quality of life. Additionally, participation in this program brings residents together and creates a sense of civic pride, whether it's through volunteer engagement or public education." 

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.

The Arbor Day Foundation, founded in 1972, is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to planting, nurturing, and celebrating trees. Since then, almost 500 million Arbor Day Foundation trees have been planted in neighborhoods, communities, and cities worldwide.