Arbor Day at the State of Montana Arboretum

Celebrate Arbor Day and retiring Professor Edwin Burke at the State of Montana Arboretum (SoMA) - University of Montana, Friday, April 28 at noon. Join the Arboretum Committee for a ceremonial tree planting followed by a short arboretum tour.

The community is invited to observe this year’s Arbor Day at the State of Montana Arboretum. The event will begin at noon at The Root, SoMA’s interpretive site located west of the University Center and north of Main Hall on the University of Montana - Missoula campus. After the Arbor Day Proclamation and other remarks, the group will walk to Stone Hall for a tree planting in honor of and a short tour of the “Greatest Hits of Dendrology” guided by Ed Burke, Professor of Wood Science and Technology. Music and refreshments will be provided.

“After working in the field of arboriculture for 17 years, I am still in awe of Ed Burke and his vast wealth of knowledge,” stated former student Marie Boggess, City of Missoula Urban Forestry Specialist II. Former student and certified arborist Adam Coe added, “Ed has had the single largest impact on my arboricultural education, not only because of his astonishing amount of knowledge, but also because of his passion for understanding trees and the impact they have on our lives.”

The University of Montana campus held its first Arbor Day festivities on April 21, 1896, three years before the first buildings were constructed. Approximately five hundred trees were planted by residents and the Missoula Chamber of Commerce with another five hundred being planted the following year. Since that time, Arbor Day has been recognized on campus every year, and in 1991, the campus was officially designated as the state arboretum.