DENVER — Hundreds of volunteers traveled from across the state Wednesday to honor veterans at Fort Logan National Cemetery.
Saluting Branches is a day of service where arborists, forestry professionals and volunteers donate their skills and time to national cemeteries by providing care to the trees.
"As a community, Denver has a very professional forestry organization and industry. We have a lot of individuals who care about our community, and it's veteran-related, right? A lot of arborists have military backgrounds, so they can make a connection to the landscape," said Luke Killoran, site manager for Saluting Branches Fort Logan and a forestry supervisor for the City of Lakewood.
He said they plan on planting 42 trees, as well as pruning, removing and giving lots of attention to established trees. Dozens of cherry pickers, wood chippers and other heavy equipment filled the cemetery Wednesday, as volunteers prepared to get to work.
It's all a big effort to say thank you to veterans.
“Veterans should be celebrated daily. It’s not a once-a-year holiday celebration," Killoran said. "We can continue to provide for the landscapes above ground and the families and friends that visit. It's a pretty powerful experience, to those individuals who have those connections to the landscape, and this just a small token of our appreciation we can give to those military members."
This is the ninth year for Saluting Branches. Killoran said they had 125 volunteers last year and were able to double that to more than 250 this year.
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