Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Trees planted in N. Mpls & around the metro

It has been a busy fall for Tree Trust's Community Forestry Department. On October 2nd and 3rd staff and 22 volunteers distributed 207 trees to homeowners in North Minneapolis who lost trees in the May 22, 2011 tornado. This distribution was a part of our North Minneapolis Reforest Project (NMRF), which was supported by grants from State Farm Insurance, the Xcel Energy Foundation, and an in-kind donation from Bachman's Nursery.

Tree varieties included Prairiefire Crabapple, Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry, Northern Hackberry, and Royal Star Magnolia.

Our Young Adult Conservation Corps program was also involved in the North Minneapolis Reforest Project. On October 11th they planted trees for individuals who participated in NMRF but were unable to plant their own trees.

On October 6th, Tree Trust's Community Forestry Manager, Karen Zumach, was awarded the President's Award from the Minnesota Society of Arboriculture (MSA) for her many contributions to community forestry in the Twin Cities. Tree Trust also received the Practitioner's Award of Excellence from MSA for its innovative planting projects with the City of St Louis Park.

Tree Trust had a Green Futures tree planting at Marsh Lake Park in Bloomington on October 8th. We had beautiful weather and were able to involve 33 volunteers in the planting of 44 trees. Varieties included Boulevard Linden, Valley Forge Elm, Swamp White Oak, Prairiefire Crabapple, Autumn Blaze Maple, and Quaking Aspen.

We have one more Green Futures planting this fall on Saturday, October 15th at Musser Park in Sunfish Lake. Sign up to volunteer here, or contact Felecia Schmidt at felecias@treetrust.org or 952-767-3884 for more information.

Tree Trust's last Community Forestry event of the fall will be a Learning with Trees planting on October 17th at Hilltop Primary School in Minnetrista. The Learning with Trees program helps schools around the state build outdoor learning areas on school grounds that include trees, shrubs, and benches. Groups of students are led by Tree Trust staff and volunteers, and every student has the opportunity to be involved in planting a tree.

For more information about our Community Forestry programs, contact Diana Preisen at dianap@treetrust.org or 612-590-1421.

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