Holdrege, NE - Tri-Basin Natural Resources District (NRD) will give away free tree seedlings to district residents as part of our celebration of the 150^th Anniversary of Arbor Day on Friday, April 29. Planting a tree or shrub is always a good idea.  This year, the tree that you plant can commemorate the many years of Nebraskans planting trees for the future. In Holdrege, there will be an open house at the Tri-Basin NRD office at 1723 Burlington Street, hosted by the NRD, in cooperation with the Holdrege Municipal Tree Board. District residents are invited to stop by any of the following locations throughout the district to pick up their free tree or shrub seedling. Giveaway locations are:

- Axtell - Community Building - 9 a.m.

- Holdrege - TBNRD - 9:30 a.m.

- Elwood - NRCS - 10 a.m.

- Bertrand - First State Bank - 10 a.m.

- Loomis Village Office - 10 a.m.

- Minden Cemetery - 3 p.m.

Available tree and shrub species include American elm, lilac, swamp white oak, hackberry, American hazelnut, crabapple, Kentucky coffeetree, Colorado blue spruce, Russian almond, red oak, bur oak, Norway spruce, and red osier dogwood.

Part of the mission of Tri-Basin Natural Resources District is to promote tree planting as a good conservation practice, with benefits for people and wildlife. Tri-Basin NRD plants trees for rural landowners when they need windbreaks, shelterbelts, and wildlife habitat.

An extensive wildfire in Gosper County this month burned all or portions of dozens of windbreaks and shelterbelts.  Tri-Basin NRD will work with landowners to help them recover from wildfires by providing technical advice and helping pay the cost of removing dead trees and planting new windbreaks. 

“We can’t replace the hundreds of mature trees that burned, but we look forward to helping landowners plant replacement trees that will eventually provide the same benefits as the trees that were destroyed” said John Thorburn, Tri-Basin NRD manager.

The NRD also promotes “urban forestry” through support for Arbor Day celebrations across the district, in cooperation with local municipal tree boards.

For more information, contact the Tri-Basin NRD office at 1-877-995-6688 or 308-995-6688.

About Tri-Basin Natural Resources District

Tri-Basin Natural Resources District (NRD) protects lives, property, and the future of Gosper, Phelps, and Kearney counties through a wide-range of stewardship, management, and education programs—from tree planting to groundwater quality and quantity monitoring, from irrigation management to outdoor recreation and more. Activities and projects of Tri-Basin NRD are reviewed and approved by a locally elected board of directors.  Tri-Basin NRD is one of 23 Natural Resource Districts across the state.  For more information, visit tribasinnrd.org or call (308) 995-6688.