Volunteers of all ages gathered at Pleasant Park on April 24 to celebrate Arbor Day in Hastings, planting trees, supporting local environmental efforts, and continuing a community tradition that has taken place for nearly three decades.
The annual event included the planting of 13 trees, participation from residents and city staff, support from local sponsors, and a formal proclamation from Mayor Mary Fasbender declaring the day Arbor Day in Hastings.
“The City of Hastings has celebrated Arbor Day since 1997, planting trees in different parks and spaces identified by the City Forester.”
City officials said the annual observance is both a hands on volunteer opportunity and a reminder of the long term importance of maintaining Hastings’ tree canopy across parks, neighborhoods, and public spaces.
“The purpose of Arbor Day is to encourage and educate Hastings residents in tree planting, developing civic pride and a sense of community.”
This year’s planting took place from 1 to 2 p.m. at Pleasant Park, a location chosen for its open green space and room for continued tree growth. About 28 volunteers participated, ranging from elementary age students to older adults working alongside city maintenance staff.
Recreation Program Specialist Paige Marschall-Bigler said the city schedules Arbor Day each year to make it easier for families to participate together.
“Today is our annual Arbor Day. We host it every year in the month of April, on a Friday and a non school day to encourage youth to come out and volunteer with adults.”
Pleasant Park provided an accessible setting for the planting effort, with a playground, ponding basin, basketball court, and trail system already in place.
“It’s a nice, flat green space with a playground and a ponding basin and a basketball court and a new trail that runs through it.”
City crews prepared mulch, soil, and watering equipment ahead of the event so volunteers could focus on planting and learning about tree care. Organizers said the goal is to keep the activity simple and welcoming while reinforcing the environmental value of trees across the community.
“Properly planted trees are resilient to pests and disease and will provide clean water, air and help offset greenhouse gas emissions.”
Mayor Fasbender said Arbor Day carries additional importance as Hastings continues responding to the loss of ash trees affected by emerald ash borer.
“Within our community, because we do have the disease of our ash going through, we're seeing a lot of trees that are needed to be taken out because of the contamination. And you know, that's hard on a community.”
She said the city works with residents to help replace trees whenever possible, though the number of removals continues to create challenges each year.
“The city tries as hard as we can to help and assist people with replacing those trees. But, there's just so many and our Forester is actively busy every spring, summer and fall, looking at those trees and evaluating which need to be taken down, which is really not fun to see.”
The city also partners with contractors to help manage removal timelines and provide support options for residents dealing with affected trees.
“We also contract with Rainbow Tree Service to help if they can get to that tree earlier. We do have a program with them that they will come out, and it's a little bit of a financial break for them.”
Fasbender said residents who suspect tree disease are encouraged to contact city staff for evaluation and guidance.
“So if anybody would ever see a tree that they feel has some sort of disease to it or something, make sure and call the parks department or a forester, and he'll gladly come out and check it, and he'll give you an evaluation and tell you, hey, moving forward, I think you should do this.”
Community partnerships also helped support this year’s Arbor Day event. Dakota Electric Association and Hoffman and McNamara contributed to the planting effort, continuing a tradition of local sponsorship tied to Hastings’ annual celebration.
“Arbor Day 2026 is partially sponsored by Dakota Electric Association and Hoffman and McNamara, and the City of Hastings is appreciative of these civic minded groups to help make this event possible.”
Representatives from Dakota Electric Association attended the event and emphasized the cooperative’s long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship across member communities.
“While we’re celebrating Arbor Day, Dakota Electric is proud to partner with different communities, including here in Hastings, to support contributions to the environment, especially on Arbor Day,” said Stacy Miller Mooradian of Dakota Electric Association.
She said tree planting efforts reflect the cooperative’s responsibility to support both natural resources and the communities it serves.
“We are stewards of our communities and resources. We value trees, we value the environment, all our natural resources.”
Dakota Electric also contributes trees throughout its service area each year as part of its environmental outreach program.
“We donated a tree to all of our members. We’re a co op, and so then we donate to all of our member cities,” said Lori Peine, coordinator of community affairs.
Since 1997, Dakota Electric has contributed nearly 207 trees to its member cities, including Hastings. The organization also provides tree kits for volunteers and distributes hundreds of trees to local schools as part of Arbor Day education efforts.
“We have our sponsors, Dakota electric Association has been a long time sponsor, donating a tree as well as tree kits, many pine trees to give away to volunteers, and they are also donating 400 trees to the schools for our city forester to go and visit those schools and talk about Arbor Day,” Marschall-Bigler said.
City officials also noted Hastings’ continued recognition as a Tree City USA community, a designation the city has maintained since 1997.
“The City of Hastings has been recognized as a Tree City USA community by the National Arbor Day Foundation since 1997, celebrating 29 years.”
Organizers said Arbor Day remains one of the city’s most visible annual opportunities for residents to participate directly in improving local parks while strengthening community connections.
“The City of Hastings declares Friday, April 24th, as Arbor Day.”
As volunteers finished planting the final trees at Pleasant Park, city staff said the event once again showed how small efforts repeated each year can produce lasting benefits for future generations.