BILLINGS – With shovels in hand, a group of volunteers and employees with the Billings Parks and Recreation Department made way for 22 new trees at Mountview Cemetery.
“I love volunteer projects and I love that it gives us a chance to connect with the community. I think they had a good time, so I’m just glad to give them that experience,” said Chris Waite, Cemetery Supervisor.
While planting trees at a cemetery on Earth Day might sound unusual, it will serve a purpose about 10 years from now, in a section that’s currently undeveloped.
“It sounds like a long time, but we have a lot of steps in order to get ready. We need to upgrade our pump, and put in the irrigation, then plant grass. So we really need about three years of growth on the grass before we can bring our equipment on it,” Waite said.
Some of the trees were planted in section 15 of the cemetery. Waite finds the number one request from families is a grave site near a tree.
The request is hard to fill, as other sections of the cemetery only have trees around its perimeter.
“Usually, the perimeter sells out fast because everyone wants to get those spots. So, we decided in that undeveloped section, we would put trees throughout the whole area,” Waite explained.
Waite observed an uptick in the need for cemetery space during the pandemic.
Historical trends indicate that need will continue.
“The baby boomers, the top of the generation are kind of reaching that point where they’re needing to utilize our services, so we’re going to see continued utilization at those levels, probably for the foreseeable future,” he said.
Mountview Cemetery is the oldest and largest operating cemetery in the region.
A look at the history of cemeteries is interesting and can be surprising to some.
Cemeteries were among the first public parks in the United States.
“If you look at park history, they started as cemeteries and green space that people would go and walk in and enjoy. So, they evolved into what we know as modern day parks,” Waite said.
The public space gave people a place to remember their loved ones and enjoy a green environment.
Waite said people occasionally take advantage of Mountview Cemetery’s dual purpose.
“In addition to burial services, we have walkers and joggers and people bringing their dogs out. And we have nice roads, they’re not busy. They can come out here and enjoy the space too," he said.
The species of trees planted on Earth Day included Red Oak, White Oak, Hackberry, Linden, Larch, Pine, and Elm.
The next big event for Billings Parks and Recreation will be Arbor Day, which they’ll observe on May 5, 2022.
The department uses the day to focus on education, with booths set up for local 4th graders, an Arbor Day ceremony, and planting of the Arbor Day Tree.
