The Hannibal Tree Board had its annual tree-planting to celebrate Arbor Day recently.

A purple robe locust tree was planted on the southeast corner of Cardiff Hill Overlook. A video of the tree planting, conducted by Tree Board members Kristy Trevathan and Kyle Monroe, is posted on the Hannibal Parks & Recreation website and social media channels.

The Arbor Day tree-planting involved very few people, to abide by social distancing guidelines.

Hannibal schoolchildren receiving meals through the Hannibal School district and Douglass Community Services will receive a paper encouraging children to create a leaf or bark rubbing to celebrate Arbor Day. The Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse will also be lit green to commemorate Arbor Day.

Arbor Day is an annual observance that celebrates the role of trees in our lives and promotes tree planting and care. As a formal holiday, it was first observed in 1872, and more than 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first Arbor Day.

The city of Hannibal was named a Tree City USA for the 20th year last year. The Arbor Day Foundation recognizes cities for commitment to effective urban forest management. Hannibal achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: a Tree Board, a tree-care ordinance, an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day observance.