PIERRE - Parker Dally of Armour, Kaylen Stearns of Edgemont, and Katy O’Daniel of Kadoka are the winning essayists selected from the 1,659 entries in the 2012 Arbor Day Essay Contest. The contest, sponsored by South Dakota’s conservation districts, McDonald’s Restaurants of South Dakota, and South Dakota Department of Agriculture, provides fifth and six grade students the opportunity to write about the importance of Arbor Day and tree planting in South Dakota.
By Kaylen Stearns of Fall River County Conservation District
My ancestors moved to western South Dakota from Brewster, Minnesota. In November of 1911, Franklin Stearns spent his days in South Dakota breaking the native sod and the generations following him have spent their lives planting the land back to grass and trees.
My father purchased the 160 acre Stearns homestead and together with my mother, planting and caring for the trees on our ranch has been a priority. Since their marriage in 2000 they have planted over 130 trees of different varieties in our yard. They never seem to get discouraged, as each spring they replace trees. My brother and I have had lots of conversations about what these trees will look like in twenty years as we pull the hose from tree to tree during the hot summer months. Our family understands the importance of the protection the trees provide for the house in the winter, the calves in the spring, shade for the dogs and kids in the summer and the beauty of the leaves in the fall.
The love for trees has not stopped at the yard, as we planted a five-row shelterbelt on the ranch. Although the shelterbelt is not watered, each spring, we replace dead trees with new trees. As my dad says, “No tree will grow unless it is planted and someone should have planted these a long time ago.”
The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, but we hope many other families will join ours as we plant trees this spring and every spring.
