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State Representative Rick Hansen
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-6828
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REP. HANSEN, MINNESOTA HOUSE CELEBRATE ARBOR DAY
(ST. PAUL) Today, Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL South St. Paul) and Rep. Carly Melin (DFL Hibbing) commemorated Arbor Day, the nationally-recognized holiday that encourages the planting and caring of trees, by offering a Red Pine also known as the Norway Pine tree to each House member. Reps. Hansen and Melin were joined by Republican Representatives McElfatrick and Loon in this annual, bipartisan tradition.
Arbor Day is an important time for us to come together across party lines to recognize how important trees are in our efforts to preserve our soil, air, and water," Rep. Hansen said. By giving each of our colleagues a tree, we are urging them to contribute to that effort, just like the pioneers who started Arbor Day nearly 140 years ago.
Arbor Day is generally celebrated on the last Friday of April each year, but members thought the upcoming Easter/Passover break would be a great time to plant trees.
Arbor Day was started by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872, who was one of many pioneers then settling the state. These pioneers were concerned about the lack of trees in their new land, and Morton organized Arbor Day to encourage the foresting of the state. It is estimated that over a million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first Arbor Day.
The Red Pine tree was designated the state tree of Minnesota in 1953. For more information on the Red Pine trees, visit the Minnesota DNR website: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/trees_shrubs/conifers/redpine.html.
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