Marshall Sunrise Rotary members joined up with city officials to plant five new trees along a public recreation path on Thursday morning. The Rotary donated $1,000 to help purchase and plant the trees. Pictured from left to right are Paul Johnson, Rick Bot, Jerry Wiblemo, Mayor Bob Byrnes, Paul Smith and Harry Weilage.

MARSHALL — It wasn’t quite Arbor Day yet. But members of the Marshall Sunrise Rotary got a head start in celebrating, by planting trees along a public path in Marshall on Thursday.

Sunrise Rotary members helped city staff plant a total of five trees along the trail running between A Street and C Street, near Loyalty Dog Park. The purchase of the trees was also made possible through a $1,000 donation from the club.

“One of the Rotary’s seven areas of focus is the environment, and planting trees helps the environment,” said Sunrise Rotary President Dave Olafson. The tree project was also a way to make a positive addition to Marshall parks and trails, he said.

Club members said Rotarian Mike Jacobs had suggested the trail near Loyalty Park as a good place to plant more trees. Many Marshall community members walk, run or bike along that path.

The Sunrise Rotary had originally planned on planting the new trees today, which is Arbor Day. But with rain in the forecast, club members decided to do it Thursday instead, Olafson said.

A crew of nine Rotarians met up with Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes at the trail on Thursday morning. Then, Marshall Parks and Recreation Superintendent Preston Stensrud arrived with five young trees in the back of a city truck. Stensrud said he brought a few different tree species, including burr oak, locust, linden, and two different varieties of disease-resistant elm.

One variety, called a New Horizon Elm, hadn’t been planted on Marshall city property before, he said.

City staff had already dug holes for the trees, at spots spaced out along the trail. Rotarians helped make sure the holes were the right depth for each of the saplings, planted them, and filled in the earth around the trees. Stensrud said city staff would come back later with watering bags for the trees, to help get them established.

The Sunrise Rotary will also be back along the trail in the future, Olafson said. “Our plan is to adopt that portion of the trail and continue to plant trees annually, and also add a sitting bench or two,” he said.