Madison, daughter of Mark and Lisa Twombly of Troy, is a student at Troy Grade School. Her poster illustrating "Trees Are Terrific ... and Forests are Too!" was among more than 1,800 entries from across the state.

As Kansas’ winner, Madison will receive a $100 U.S. Savings Bond, said State Forester Ray Aslin. She also will receive a framed copy of her poster, and the certificate announcing her achievement.

Her art teacher, Nancy Clisbee, will receive a "Trees Are Terrific" educational kit from the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Madison’s entry showed people enjoying a forest alive with bees, butterflies, squirrels and rabbits. It also included a heading with this year’s contest theme.

A copy of Madison’s poster will be up for viewing in weeks ahead on the Kansas Forest Service Web site (www.kansasforests.org) and K-State Research and Extension’s news site (www.oznet.ksu.edu/news).

The poster itself will represent Kansas in nationwide competition. The National Arbor Day Foundation will announce the U.S. winner April 27 during National Arbor Day ceremonies in Nebraska City, Neb.

The national winner, the teacher of the winning student, and one parent will receive an expense-paid trip to Nebraska City – birthplace of Arbor Day – where they will participate in an April 27-29 Arbor Day National Awards Weekend. The national winner also will receive a $1,000 savings bond and lifetime membership in the Arbor Day Foundation. The winning student’s teacher will receive $200 for classroom materials.

"I believe children have a natural affinity for trees. If you’ve got trees, you’ve got kids playing in, around and on them. We try to build on that, in hopes it will grow into an adult appreciation for the importance trees play in personal quality of life, our state’s economic well-being and the entire balance of nature that makes our planet liveable," Aslin said.

Local tree boards, Conservation Districts, Kansas State University, and other organizations help the Kansas Forest Service and the National Arbor Day Foundation sponsor the contest each year.

The contest theme for 2002 is not yet known, Aslin said. But, information about participating in next year’s contest is available through local community tree boards, Kansas’ district foresters and the Kansas Forest Service’s Webpage.