Othello hands out trees

OTHELLO — “How are you guys? You want a tree?”

It’s an odd greeting, even on an obscure holiday like Washington State Arbor Day.

But it’s how Othello Recreation Director Amy Hurlbut is greeting people at Kiwanis Park on Saturday. She’s giving out trees — saplings and seeds — to anyone who might be interested. To add a little green to their yards and the city.

And people are interested. About a dozen have lined up, waiting to get pine tree saplings, most around a foot high, six or so inches of dirt-covered roots wrapped in wet newspaper. And instructions on how to plant and care for them.

“We just wanted more green in our yard. We don’t have many trees,” said Othello resident Jose Monroy.

“More shade,” added his wife, Carla.

“Blue spruce or Ponderosa pine?” Hurlbut asks. “Pine trees are going to be solid. Once it grows large it will stay evergreen and really bushy all year round.”

And in a couple of years, as they grow, Hurlbut adds, you can hang lights and ornaments on pine trees as well — living Christmas trees.

According to Hurlbut, this is the first tree giveaway the city of Othello has ever had, part of its ongoing commitment to marking Arbor Day after receiving the designation of “Tree City USA” from the National Arbor Day Foundation several years ago.

Last year, it was planting trees along 14th Avenue. And the year before that, the city replanted some trees that had been vandalized in Lions Park. This year, in addition to the pine saplings, Hurlbut is also giving away sycamore and thornless honey locust seeds, along with a little potting soil and a red Solo cup to get them started.

“It’s not just planting trees, but having a sustainable plan for how those trees will stay alive and continue to be cared for,” she said. “So this will be part of the requirement we have to meet each year to be a Tree City.”

The giveaway idea was the result of some brainstorming with Brian Bodah, executive director of business services for the Othello School District and “quite the tree aficionado,” Hurlbugt said. Bodah helped get a deal on the saplings from the Franklin H. Pitkin Forest Nursery — associated with the University of Idaho’s forestry program — so they could give away seeds and seedlings to anyone who was interested.

“We add more trees to our community and more fresh air to the world,” Hurlbut said. “I’m actually really pleased too!”

A pair of Latter-day Saint missionaries — David Richardson of Huntsville, Utah, and Peter Holley of Eagle Mountain, Utah — both of whom have only been in Othello for three weeks, never imagined they’d be handing out pine tree saplings in the park.

“Hey, every day’s different,” Holley said.

“We’re happy to serve wherever we can,” Richardson added.