Attendees of varying ages celebrated Arbor Day by planting of five trees around the Water Reuse Site Pond at Carrie Blake Community Park on April 26.

Deputy Mayor Rachel Anderson read a proclamation about Sequim’s efforts as a “Tree City USA” through the Arbor Day Foundation, and saying the event was special because volunteers can come back in the coming years and say, “I helped plant that.”

City staffer Kyle James said he purchased four Douglas Firs and one alpine hemlock from New Dungeness Nursery for the event.

Sequim High School students from Bill McFarlen’s agriculture science classes chipped in to plant the trees with city staff, elected and appointed city officials and young families fishing nearby who wanted to help.

This week students hold their annual plant sale at Sequim High School’s greenhouse, 601 N. Sequim Ave., from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. through May 10, with proceeds benefiting the school’s Agriculture program.

For more information on Arbor Day, visit arborday.org.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Sequim High School Agriculture students and staff, City of Sequim staff and elected/ appointed officials, and community members gather for a photo of Sequim’s Arbor Day Celebration on April 26.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ For Arbor Day, Sequim High School Agriculture students, from left, Eli Lyke, Zoey Cramer, Trevor Goff, and Chris Young shovel dirt from Sequim parks worker Bill Poindexter’s tractor near the Water Reuse Pond.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ City staffer Kyle James steadies a tree for fellow staffers and city councilors Harmony Rutter and Rachel Anderson on Arbor Day.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Isla Van Santen, 2, helps shovel dirt for a tree on Arbor Day. She was visiting with her family, including dad Chris Van Santen with N&I Semper Fi landscaping to go fishing in the Water Reuse Pond, and they opted to help with the city celebration planting five trees.