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Keitel introduces Silent Oak Society; Luverne chapter ready to plant oak trees

Lead Summary
By
Lori Sorenson, editor

Luverne native Bill Keitel introduced his Silent Oak Society at the Chamber After Hours event in the Brandenburg Gallery Monday on Earth Day.
“My grandfather didn’t want people to bring flowers to his funeral; instead, he asked them to plant a tree,” Keitel said. “And so began my obsession with trees.”
After retiring two years ago, Keitel said he started the Silent Oak Society to promote planting trees, especially the slow-growing, long-living varieties like oak trees.
“Our interest is to quietly give a gift that may well live on for generations,” is a lead statement in the Silent Oak Society in Worthington where Keitel lives. 
“The society is silent because we are not pursuing this for public accolades. … There won’t be a plaque; there won’t be acknowledgment. There will be the satisfaction that you were able to provide shelter and shade for the present and for future generations.”
At Monday’s event, Chamber Director Jane Wildung Lanphere said the groundwork is already in place for a Luverne Silent Oak Society.
“If someone wants to designate an oak tree, you can pay $300 and the city will coordinate with you where to plant on public property,” Lanphere said. “The city doesn’t have a budget to plant oak trees because they’re more expensive, but if it’s on city property, the city will plant it and care for it.”
The Chamber will coordinate tree-planting efforts with the city. Trees will be 2 to 3 inches around and 10 to 15 feet tall.
“It’s a wonderful way to create a memorial,” Lanphere said Monday night. “This is a gift you could give that will last hundreds of years.”
People can plant a bur oak in memory of someone as a living tribute to that person. Or it can be planted in honor of someone as a gift to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, weddings or other special occasions.
Or, an oak tree can be planted for the sole purpose of supporting community forestation.
The gift will be acknowledged with a personalized commemorative card sent to the honoree or family of someone memorialized.
The Luverne Silent Oak Society website through the Chamber’s website will officially register gifts, dates, brief memorial tributes, names and a photo and location of oak trees.
Keitel thanked Luverne for being receptive to his idea.
“It reaffirms my opinion of Luverne … I’ve grown to admire what the people have done here through the years,” he said. “You have every reason to stand tall and proud.”
He said planting a slow-growing tree like an oak tree requires patience and an understanding that the task will be for future enjoyment, not necessarily for the current generation.
“More than 30 years ago I planted an acorn, and four years ago I built a tree house in it for my grandchildren,” Keitel said.
He said the April 2013 ice storm devastated many trees in the area, but the oak trees were unfazed. “There was zero damage to the oak trees; they’re very hardy,” Keitel said.
He said bur oaks are the original trees of the prairie and are well-adapted to climate extremes and regular grass fires that swept the plains.
Their deep roots and thick bark contribute to their longevity — some living to be more than 400 years old. “It’s one of the longest-lived trees in this area,” Keitel said.
Lanphere distributed information about Luverne’s Silent Oak Society at Monday’s gathering.
“One of the goals of the Silent Oak Society in Luverne is to help our community engage residents and businesses to support the planting of one of the most majestic and original trees of the prairie,” the brochure stated. 
A planned oak tree planting ceremony Monday night was postponed due to wet conditions.

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