Photo by Madeline Scarborough Craig Menton, with the West Virginia Department of Forestry, and Barbara Lewis, president of Williamstown’s tree committee, hand out a tree to Hadden Thibault with Wood County Christian School at the city’s Arbor Day celebration.

PARKERSBURG — The Mid-Ohio Valley celebrated Arbor Day with tree ceremonies in Parkersburg, Vienna and Williamstown.

They are three of the 15 cities in the state that qualify as a Tree City.

Arbor Day started in Nebraska in 1872 as a way to encourage people to plant and preserve trees.

“On that day, over one million trees were planted in Nebraska,” Bob Hannah, the West Virginia Department of Forestry’s Urban Forestry coordinator, said at Williamstown’s Arbor Day celebration on Friday.

Williamstown is West Virginia’s oldest Tree City, with 35 consecutive years.

Photo by Madeline Scarborough Students from Wood County Christian School and Williamstown High School listen to the West Virginia Department of Forestry’s Urban Forestry coordinator Bob Hannah speak at Williamstown’s Arbor Day celebration.

“Arbor Day is important, because if there is no trees, then many things we have now and take for granted everyday would disappear,” Joyce McSherry, a student from Wood County Christian School, said.

Williamstown Mayor Jean Ford talked with students from Wood County Christian School and Williamstown High School at the celebration about the importance of trees.

“Trees cut heating and cooling costs down, by providing shade and a barrier from the sun in the warmer months, and losing their leaves in the winter to let more light reach us,” she said

Barbara Lewis, president of the city’s tree committee, pointed out that trees not only produce oxygen, but sequester carbon until the tree dies, helping to make the air cleaner.

“Trees help us to survive, so we must in return help keep their number up and take care of our trees,” Lewis said.

Photo Provided Jack Mathers, Vienna’s forester; Steve Black, Vienna Parks director, and park employees plant a tree at Jackson Park in honor of Arbor Day Friday.

Williamstown did not plant a tree on Friday due to the rain. The rainwater needs to soak into the ground before planting, so the tree will survive.

The city provided students and attendees with 100 white pine trees they could plant at home.

“They need to be in a wide open area, not near utility lines, as these can grow to be at least 60 to 70 feet tall,” Hannah said.

Jill Masten, a member of the Williamstown Women’s Club, said Mary Lee Neal, who brought Arbor Day to the city 35 years ago, was her neighbor before passing. Neal would have loved seeing the kids here taking part in a special holiday, Masten said.

“There are still trees in her old backyard that her grandkids brought home and planted years ago,” she said.

Photo Provided Parkersburg City Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl, council’s representative on the Municipal Tree Commission, and volunteer Debbie Jeffrey delivered saplings this week to fourth-graders at nine elementary schools around the city. Pictured Friday at Fairplains Elementary School are, back row from left, Kuhl, teacher Caitlin Freeland and Jeffrey; and, front row, students Shyla Harding, Warren Smaar and Santana Dowler.

Parkersburg marked Arbor Day last week with the planting of a Japanese lilac tree in front of Parkersburg Catholic High School. This is the 21st consecutive year Parkersburg has attained Tree City USA status with the Arbor Day Foundation.

This week, Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl, council’s representative on the Municipal Tree Commission, volunteer Debbie Jeffrey and Parkersburg Development Department administrative assistant Tammy Bunner delivered saplings for fourth-graders at 10 elementary schools.

“They were so excited,” Kuhl said after presenting the trees to fourth-graders at Fairplains Elementary Friday. “They all wanted hugs from us afterwards.”

Each sapling — donated by the Tree Commission — came with instructions on how to plant and take care of it.

“This was the best part of being on that committee,” Kuhl said.

Vienna, which celebrated its 11th year as a Tree City on Friday, planted a tree in Jackson Park before holding a ceremony at the senior citizens center with park employees, city employees and members of the tree beautification committee.

(Staff writer Evan Bevins contributed to this story.)