OSMOND — On Wednesday, Sept. 24, Jeremy Roubal of Great Plains Nursery drove into town with a 40-ft. trailer full of trees, and dropped off 10 of them for the Osmond community. This was just one stop of several which also included Laurel, Schuyler, St. Helena and Hadar.
The delivery of trees was the result of a grant that the Osmond Tree Board had written to the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum (NSA). Clark Wilke, a member of the tree board, said he received an email recently from Kendall Weyers of the NSA telling him the community would receive the grant for the trees.
The delivery included 10 trees: two Chinkapin oaks, two front yard Lindens, two Kentucky coffeetree, two northern Catalpa and two swamp white oak. All are indigenous to Nebraska. Wilke said he is also applying for another big grant to be used for tree removal and planting.
On Thursday, Oct. 2, members of the Osmond High School “O” Club and Principal Kurt Polt helped the Osmond Tree Board with planting the trees at the ball fields. "O" Club members John Broekemeier, Kaleb Gardner, Mason True, Kooper Gubbels and Caleb Vinson planted the trees, put trunk shields around the base to protect them, and staked the young trees for support.
The trees will be watered three times a week until winter, Wilke said, and in the spring will begin a regular watering routine.
Regina Lorenz | Osmond Republican Top photo: Standing with one of the oak trees they planted are John Broekemeier (left), Kaleb Gardner, Principal Kurt Polt, Kooper Gubbels, Mason True and Caleb Vinson. Bottom left: John Broekemeier, Mason True and Caleb Vinson pat down the dirt around one of the trees. Bottom right: Kooper Gubbels and Kaleb Gardner stake the trees to give them support.
