Tree Trust's first commercial

This month Tree Trust shot its very first commercial -- well, really its a public service announcement (PSA), but calling it a commercial is a lot more fun! 

You can view our new PSA on YouTube and Vimeo. It will also air periodically on CTV15 and its sister stations. 

Thanks to the generosity of CTV15, who provided consultation and production as an in-kind donation to Tree Trust, we now have our 30 seconds of fame. 

Special thanks to Kevin Schmitz from CTV15, who worked patiently with us over the past few months to get it just right. And extra special thanks to our cast -- Felecia, Kyler, Sam, Giampaolo and Kristine -- for  lending us their time and talent on the set.

Let us know what you think. And feel free to share it with others!

Tree Trust teams up with St. Louis Park

Tree Trust has partnered with the City of St. Louis Park since our inception. But now we’re taking our relationship to a whole new level.

We’ve partnered with the City to add 2,000 well-established trees to St. Louis Park over the next four years. The St. Louis Park Reforest Project is part of an overall effort to reforest the city after the loss of trees to Dutch elm disease, and to pre-forest the city before emerald ash borer wipes out many more.

Our three-pronged approach involves:

1. Tree distributions. Each year Tree Trust will sell trees at a low cost to St. Louis Park residents. They’ll learn how to properly plant and maintain them in their own yards.

2. Community tree plantings. Tree Trust will facilitate an annual planting event in a city park. Residents will help plant trees and the city will take care of them. Trees will be paid for by donations from St. Louis Park citizens that are matched by the City of St. Louis Park!

3. Youth crew plantings. The City of St. Louis Park will hire our youth crews to plant trees in public spaces throughout the city. That sure beats busting buckthorn!

Kick-off Fundraiser

On September 19, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, the Park Tavern Bowling and Entertainment Center will host an event to celebrate 30 years in St. Louis Park. All proceeds from the event will be donated to Tree Trust in support of the Reforest Project.

You are invited! Have a good time and support a great cause. More details about the event will be available soon. Contact Tracie at tracieh@treetrust.org with questions.

UPDATE: The Park Tavern’s 30th Anniversary Celebration (and the City of St. Louis Park’s match) raised $3,850 for our St. Louis Park Reforest Project! What a great start for this special partnership!
Thanks to all who came out support the cause.

To Plant a Tree

This insightful poem was written by one of our wonderful volunteers, Jim Nelson. He shared this with a group of tree planting volunteers during our special “Plant a Wish” event along the Midtown Greenway on June 2, 2010.

Jim is a Master Gardener, Tree Care Advisor, Tree Inspector, and friend of Tree Trust. With Jim’s permission, we share this with the rest of you.

To Plant a Tree

To plant a tree is to begin a project
that may outlive me and my children.

To plant a tree is to make a small part of the earth
a new and better place.

To plant a tree whose crown may never shade me
is to care for neighbors and others.

To plant a tree is to give color and form
to dreams of a better world for all.

New CEO for Tree Trust

Tree Trust’s board of directors has been engaged in a search for a chief executive officer since February, following the passing of Dave Hawes. Although we wish it were under different circumstances, we are pleased to announce that today, Susan Gethin joins us.

Meet Susan…

After a long career in the corporate world, Susan wanted to contribute more directly to the community by focusing her skills and talents in the nonprofit arena.

Susan spent the past five years as V.P of Corporate Communications for Ameriprise Financial, Inc. Prior to that she was V.P. of U.S. Retail Communications for American Express Financial Advisors, and she put her B.A. in Political Science to work in the world of politics.

With her passion for the environment and expertise in communications, leadership, strategic planning and executive management, Tree Trust is a perfect fit.

Welcome Susan!