Community Forestry Highlights

This summer we had a great intern, Christina, who did a lot of video work for Tree Trust. We'll be posting some of her work in the coming weeks and months. Here is the first installment:

Enjoy!

Tornado Anniversary

On May 22, a tree was planted in the yard of Jan Carstens to honor her husband, Rob MacIntyre, who died in the tornado that devastated sections of North Minneapolis one year ago. Rob was a great friend to the environment and to the youth crews from Tree Trust who worked on projects in his neighborhood over the years. Following his death and at the request of Jan, a fund was set up at Tree Trust in Rob's name which will restore trees to the North Minneapolis community. Consider making a donation to the Rob MacIntyre Fund to help our neighbors while they continue the recovery process. 

A lot of great organizations, government agencies, and individuals have been on the ground providing assistance, but there is much more to be done. Estimated costs for recovery efforts have reached over $80 million. Tree Trust will continue to work with many partners to aid in restoring trees to the community during the coming months and years. Partners to date include the City of Minneapolis, State Farm, Wells Fargo, Xcel Energy, Minnesota Helps - North Minneapolis Recovery Fund, Bachmans, Knecht Nurseries and Landscaping and Taylor Truck Line.

Tree Trust has always had a focus on serving the neighborhoods of North Minneapolis and the recovery effort has created an even greater focus on the area. Our YouthBuild program has worked to rehab and rebuild homes and apartment buildings in tornado damaged neighborhoods. Our Community Forestry Department has distributed over 600 trees so far to residents of North Minneapolis who had their tree canopy devastated by the tornado and we will roll out additional tree restoration programs later this year. Many of the youth who participate in Tree Trust programs are residents of North Minneapolis and are proud to be able to help the areas where they live.

Tree Trust is grateful for the support of the metro community toward our work in North Minneapolis and we'll continue doing all we can in the coming months and years. Visit Tree Trust's website to make a donation or for more information.

For an update on recovery efforts by the City of Minneapolis, visit the Minneapolis Recovers: North Side Tornado page of the City of Minneapolis website.

Tree Sales Update

Tree Trust offers municipal tree distributions every year in order to increase the tree canopy in the Twin Cities. Planting a tree is the easiest way to improve property values, reduce energy needs, and improve our air and water quality. 

This is Tree Trust's sixth year offering the Minneapolis City Trees program in partnership with City of Minneapolis, and the third year of a partnership with the City of St Louis Park to provide the tree sale to city residents. It is the second year of a partnership with State Farm Insurance to provide trees to residents affected by the May 22nd, 2011 tornado. Thanks to the Cities of Minneapolis and St Louis Park, and State Farm Insurance for making these programs possible, and thanks to all the people who purchased trees to help green our community.

St Louis Park Tree Sale

The St Louis Park Tree Sale has not sold out yet! We have just under 100 trees still available to residents of St Louis Park. Prairifire Crabapple trees have sold out and some varieties are limited. Order soon to make sure that you can get a tree this year!

If you ordered a tree, you MUST pick it up Sat, May 5 from 8AM-12 noon or on Mon, May 7 from 5-7 PM at Tree Trust's office at 2231 Edgewood Ave S, St Louis Park.

North Minneapolis ReForest Project

Thanks to State Farm Insurance, Tree Trust is providing free trees to North Minneapolis residents who live in the tornado-affected zone. Many trees were lost in the tornado, and this tree distribution is part of Tree Trust's efforts to replace the tree canopy through the North Minneapolis ReForest Project. There were 400 trees available and approximately half of those have sold. Order soon to make sure that you can get a tree!

If you ordered a tree, you MUST pick it up on May 12th, 7AM-3PM; May 13th, 8AM-4PM; or May 14th 3PM-7PM at the Minneapolis Impound Lot at 51 Colfax Ave N. If you are unable to pick up your tree, you may have someone else pick it up for you. The morning of the 12th will be the busiest day with the longest wait times.

Minneapolis City Trees

This program has risen in popularity over the years and this year we sold out of trees faster than any ever! 1,500 trees went on sale at 8 AM on Monday and they were all gone by Thursday. 

If you ordered a tree, you MUST pick it up on May 12th, 7AM-3PM; May 13th, 8AM-4PM; or May 14th 3PM-7PM at the Minneapolis Impound Lot at 51 Colfax Ave N. If you are unable to pick up your tree, you may have someone else pick it up for you. The morning of the 12th will be the busiest day with the longest wait times.

Impressions of 2011 - Community Forestry

It seems as though each passing year welcomes a new threat to our urban forest. Emerald ash borer, Dutch elm disease, burr oak blight, thousand cankers, oak wilt, poor planting practices, other invasive pests, drought, and violent weather all seem to be conspiring against the beautiful trees that make the Twin Cities one of the most livable communities in the country. While many thousands of trees are lost each year to pests, disease, weather and just plain old age, our Community Forestry programming has been working hard to reverse the damage.

2011 started with celebration as one of our most dedicated volunteers, Giampaolo Malin, received a “Be the Change” award from HandsOn Twin Cities for his amazing efforts volunteering for Tree Trust. A dedicated Tree Trust Tree Trainer, Giampaolo rarely misses an opportunity to educate tree planting volunteers on proper planting techniques at our community plantings.

Spring arrived just in time for a beautiful Arbor Day planting along Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis. Approximately 100 volunteers got dirty planting nearly 1,000 shrubs and 50 trees on a lovely May morning. With assistance from Tree Trust’s Landscape Services and Young Adult Conservation Crews, the volunteers had enough shovels, wheel barrows and mulch to get the job done. 

 

Learning with Trees at Nellie Stone Johnson

As I increased in size (I was five months pregnant at the start of planting season), so did my staff. Diana Preisen, a former Young Adult Conservation Corps supervisor, made the leap to forestry; and Emily Hanson, a recent graduate from the University of Minnesota, came in as a summer intern. The newly expanded forestry staff was kept busy with Learning with Trees plantings at Somerset Elementary School in West St. Paul, Hilltop Primary School in Minnetrista, and Nellie Stone Johnson Community School in North Minneapolis.  Through this program, over 1,000 students participated in the planting of trees on their school grounds. If you ever have an opportunity to volunteer for our school plantings, I highly recommend it…it will brighten your day.

The ReForest St. Louis Park program brought 40 new trees to Dakota Park in St. Louis Park. Volunteers showed up bright and early eager to work. Their efforts transformed this neighborhood park in just a few short hours. It’s amazing what many hands can accomplish.

Spring with Tree Trust’s Community Forestry also brings a deluge of phone calls from eager Minneapolis and St. Louis Park residents. Tree Trust again facilitated both cities’ annual tree distributions, making 1,750 trees available to residents to plant on their properties. There’s just something about seeing a Mini Cooper drive away with a six foot tree sticking out the back that fills my heart with hope for our urban forest. Multiply that by 1,750 and you have to believe things are looking up…unless, of course, there’s a tornado. 

North Minneapolis distribution

The devastating tornado that ripped through north Minneapolis on May 22nd, ironically during the second day of the Minneapolis tree distribution, took down thousands of trees. Fortunately through fundraising efforts, Tree Trust was able to provide 207, free and low cost trees to residents who lost trees during the storm. This horribly unfortunate event led to an opportunity for Community Forestry to reach out to citizens and fulfill Tree Trust’s mission to transform lives and landscapes. We are lucky to be able to offer this opportunity again in 2012 to residents affected by the storm.

During my maternity leave, fall community plantings continued with Diana and Emily running the show. This fall included two Green Futures plantings, one in Bloomington and another in Sunfish Lake. Because of these two plantings, and the donations that made them possible, 80 more trees were added to the urban forest and approximately fifty people learned how to properly plant trees. While we may never win the war against the multitude of threats to our urban forest, the 2,200 trees we helped to get in the ground this year sure feels like we may have won at least a battle. Trees are good. Plant on.

-Karen Zumach, Community Forestry Manager

Tree Trust in North Minneapolis

On May 22nd, 2011, a tornado ripped through North Minneapolis taking two lives, injuring many, causing damage to homes and buildings, and tearing out trees. Since then, a variety of Tree Trust programs have worked in North Minneapolis to aid in tornado recovery. 

YouthBuild

In the immediate aftermath of the tornado, YouthBuild participants and staff members who lived in North Minneapolis were out in their community cleaning up debris and helping neighbors. These individuals live in North Minneapolis, and they also spend their days working there.

Our YouthBuild program rehabs and rebuilds homes and apartment buildings, primarily in North Minneapolis. This program typically only runs during the school year, but this summer, thanks to a grant from the Minnesota Helps - North Minneapolis Recovery Fund, YouthBuild was able to have a crew working in the tornado-affected area.

This program works with youth who are in school, but are at risk of not succeeding in education or employment. They learn construction skills and employment soft skills in their work rehabbing and rebuilding houses and apartment buildings. Since the tornado, participants have worked on tornado-damaged residences as well as rehabbed other buildings to increase the number of rentals available to those without housing as a result of the tornado.

North Minneapolis Reforest Project

Thousands of trees were lost in the tornado and our Community Forestry Department is doing its part to reforest North Minneapolis.

In the fall of 2011, thanks to a grant from State Farm Insurance, Tree Trust staff and volunteers distributed 202 trees to North Minneapolis residents to plant on private property. There were also five trees given to Nellie Stone Johnson Community School to plant on their grounds.

A number of North Minneapolis residents were unable to plant their own trees. We did not want that to stop them from participating in the program, so our Young Adult Conservation Corps, under the guidance of our Community Forestry Specialist, planted some trees for residents who could not plant them on their own.

Tree Trust has had a presence in North Minneapolis for many years. Our programs serve many disadvantaged youth and adults in that community and around the metro. Our Youth Conservation Corps, YouthBuild, and Young Adult Conservation Corps have completed many landscaping, construction, and home rehabbing projects in North Minneapolis. Community Forestry has brought our Learning with Trees program to a number schools in North Minneapolis neighborhoods over the years. Tornado recovery efforts are an extension of the services that Tree Trust already provides.

Photo documentary to benefit Tree Trust

Two Twin Cities organizations, EDIT and Bolder Options, have partnered on a project to document the damage in North Minneapolis from the May 22nd, 2011 tornado.

The mission of EDIT is to empower youth and communities to expand their awareness of diversity issues, embrace a journey toward greater understanding and acceptance, and become committed to social action in order to create a more inclusive society. The mission of Bolder Options is Teaching Youth to Succeed in ALL of Life's Races. Both organizations work to involve youth in a number of different programs.

This particular project involves 15 youth, ages 10-14. Youth wanted to show the struggle, hope, and need that resulted from the tornado through a photo documentary project. Participants went into the North Minneapolis community where each youth took photos of the people, places, landscape, and anything else that inspired them. Their photos will be displayed at the Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC). The gallery opening will be Thursday, January 12th from 5-7 PM.

This event will be a fundraiser for organizations that have worked in North Minneapolis on the recovery and rebuilding effort. Tree Trust and Urban Homeworks are the two organizations that the participants selected as beneficiaries.

For more details on Tree Trust's tornado recovery efforts, please check our News and Stories page tomorrow, December 30th.