Skip to main content

What We Do

We plant Nebraska for healthy people, vibrant communities and a resilient environment.

We do this through tree planting, garden making, community building, and education.

  • Nance's Testimony

    When I consider what I could be proud of, nothing makes me feel better than the plants I’ve helped get planted. The trees that Bob helped me plant for my neighborhood association through a grant program. They were tiny, hopeful little things that are now becoming real trees that provide shade, shelter for wildlife and a healthier environment. Long after we’re gone, those trees will be there. How cool is that?
    -Nance Harris, Past NSA Board President

Our Impact In 2023

At the heart of our work is the mission to support communities throughout Nebraska when they have a sustainable landscaping or gardening idea, but need help accomplishing it. We work with their Green Teams to make a plan, coordinate the project and provide funding. From planting 10 free trees to multi-year green infrastructure installations, we do what it takes to Plant Nebraska for healthy people, vibrant communities and a resilient environment. 

  • Grant Dollars Distributed

    $242,064

  • Trees Planted

    3,665

  • Plants in the Ground

    51,061

  • People Reached

    48,376

Northeast High School STEM Garden Club Gets Planting

Students at Northeast High School in Lincoln helped plant 10 new trees.

A late October cold snap didn't keep a group of hardy students at Northeast High School in Lincoln from grabbing shovels and planting 10 new trees on their school grounds this week. The students are part of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Garden Club, under the Early College and Career STEM Focus program, which guides students toward exploring potential career opportunities and college pathways in the world of food, energy, water and societal systems.

Bailey Feit, who coordinates the Focus program at Northeast High School, said the STEM Garden Club was launched two years ago with the aim of encouraging students to explore how garden and landscape design concepts connect to STEM. The tree planting project was part of a collaborative effort with Nebraska Statewide Arboretum’s Bloom Box @School program.

“As a school garden, we don’t necessarily have the funding to be able to purchase plants and trees,” said Feit, “so we are grateful for the support of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.”

Garden Club member Eva Urman, a sophomore who helped with the tree planting, is interested in a career in landscape design or landscape architecture. “We helped plan where to plant the trees and where we wanted more shade,” she said. “Eventually we hope this will help our school become a recognized tree campus.”

Green Infrastructure Coordinator Justin Evertson, Horticulture Program Coordinator Bob Henrickson, and Sustainable Landscape Specialists Sarah Buckley and Brad Kindler demonstrated how to disentangle pot-bound roots and explained how to measure proper planting depth and stake the newly planted trees. The students then pitched in, helping to dig holes and plant, stake, mulch and water the new trees.

“It’s great for the students to have this very hands-on experience,” added Feit. “This partnership with the Arboretum has been a great fit for us.”

Thank you to our generous sponsors:

  • University of Nebraska logo
    University of Nebraska logo
  • NFS
    NFS
MENU CLOSE