While technically Arbor Day isn’t until April 29, Mississippi celebrates the holiday on the second Friday in February for optimum results for trees planted in its climate.

The Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District has been celebrating by giving away more than 13,000 trees last Friday and planting trees at a number of area schools, including Beechwood Elementary.

Second-grade teacher Suzanne Artman said the entire grade pitched in Thursday, along with the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District.

“Each grade level has a different service project this year for Leader in Me, and ours was planting trees for Arbor Day,” she said.

Second grade was responsible for February, which happens to be when Arbor Day occurs in Mississippi, Artman said.

“We were trying to think of things to help the environment or might be something good to help others,” she said. “February was our month, and we celebrate Arbor Day in Mississippi in February. It made sense for us.”

Nancy Melancon of the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District said in advance of Arbor Day, she sends out letters to all third-grade classes to offer to plant trees at their schools and teach them about Arbor Day. The Beechwood second-graders also made a special request.

“We want to let them know about conservation and trees and how dependent our lives are on trees,” she said. “It’s not a bad thing to cut trees, but it’s our responsibility to replace them.”

The District has been planting trees at the schools for more than 20 years, and Melancon said it’s done statewide.

“The reason we celebrate Arbor Day in February is because the ground has to be a certain temperature when the tree is planted in order for it to live,” she said. “The ground has to be cold, and the soil has to be a certain temperature. This is the time of year you plant trees.”

Melancon taught the students what a dibble bar is and how to use one to plant tree seedlings. Several students joined in and used to dibble bar to make holes for the two loblolly pines planted in one of the school’s playgrounds.

Kathryn Wilkinson, 8, said the students spent time learning about Arbor Day and its importance.

“Arbor Day is when you celebrate nature and how nature takes its course,” she said. Wilkinson said trees put out oxygen to help people breathe and provides shade for hot days.

“I love nature because it has lots of animals in it, and I absolutely love animals,” she said.

Wilkinson said she’s excited to see the two pine trees grow year after year.