A person only gets one chance to plant a tree correctly, a state forester says.

”You only get one opportunity to plant a tree,“ said Lisa Bowers, a forester with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division (ODNR) of Forestry, during a 40-minute presentation at Veterans Memorial Park in Wapakoneta. ”So you have to make sure you do it properly the first time or it won't survive.“

Bowers and two other state foresters converged on Wapakoneta to help city workers and residents with tree planting and maintenance during a seminar called ”The Western Ohio Urban Forestry Field Day.“

Each forester gave a presentation on an area in which they specialize, including pruning, tree identification and tree planting.

Bowers, who has worked with the Division of Forestry for five years, also emphasized the importance of making sure a tree is not planted too deep.

”The soil level should be much higher than the root ball,“ Bowers said. ”The root ball is the part of the tree where the roots start to flare out. If a tree is planted too deep, it will eventually choke and inevitably die from lack of nutrients.“

Throughout Bowers' presentation, she also discussed proper site location and watering tips.

”You want to make sure that you are not planting a tree near electric wires,“ Bowers said.“ You also have to make sure that there are no wires in the ground where you are digging.“

Bowers, who oversees 15 central Ohio counties, talked about the proper methods of planting a tree. Bowers and ODNR employees planted three new trees at the park.

The trees planted at the park, a dawn redwood, silver linden and a river birch, were chosen by Bowers because when the trees mature, the park will allow them plenty of space to grow.

Wendi Crabill, a forester who serves the southwest region of Ohio, kicked off the field day with a presentation that offered the community tips on tree pruning.

During a presentation at the intersection of Benton and Court streets, Crabill used handsaws, loppers and gloves to show the community the proper way to prune trees and the importance of keeping a tree pruned, as well as making sure pruning was not done to excessively.

During the tree identification presentation, Stephanie Miller, an urban forester who oversees the northwestern Ohio region, explained to visitors from Columbus and Cincinnati, as well as Wapakoneta residents, the importance of knowing what time of tree is planted on a property.

”It is important to find and identify what kind of tree is being planted,“ Miller said. ”Knowing what kind of tree is planted will make it easier to care for the tree.“

Miller also provided tips to the group regarding leaf spotting and how to tell if a tree is stressed.

Wapakoneta was chosen as a site for field day due to the overwhelming requests for an educational day from area residents.

”This is a central location to have this field day,“ Miller said. ”I hope everyone learns something today.“