"Community Tree"

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

I just wanted to share with everyone a story that Peggy Middaugh (project coordinator) told me:

We had a Red Oak tree that needed to be planted outside of a WHCR house at 866 Main St. At about 1:30 on Friday Peggy got her car all packed up with shovels, mulch and went on a quest to find volunteers. She stopped at the Artichoke Food Co-Op (an organic food market) and asked "Does anybody want to help plant a tree?" Doro said he'd help but had to work until 2. Peggy told him where she was going to be and he said he would drop by after work. Peggy drove Bailey (her dog/WTI mascot) to the Main South CDC, where we had been keeping the tree. As she was putting the tree in her truck Justice walked by and asked "do you need help?" When he found out that it was only going one block, he picked it up and walked it over. "I just got through planting 6 trees on Clifton Place" he said. What a huge help he was moving the tree! Then he helped cut the pot open and take the tree out. Unlike the Honelylocus from the other day, it was in beautiful shape! Hardly any encircling roots, and not at all pot bound. Peggy dug the hole, several people walked by and asked about it. One man asked for a cigarette but said he couldn't work, and a woman was so excited about a tree but was late for work so couldn't help. When the hole was finished and the tree out of the pot, Doro came by on his bike. We filled in the hole, watered the tree, asked a resident at 866 for more water (which he cheerfully supplied, filled up several gallon jugs with water), and mulched it heavily. It blew in the breeze. It's beautiful! Thanks to Justice and Doro for making it happen! And all of the other community members for their good will. I think we should plant more "community" trees this way.

"Humanity is the rich effluvium, it is the waste and the manure and the soil, and from it grows the tree of the arts." - Ezra Pound

Giving Away Trees

WOW today was a great day! It was the third giveaway event of the spring. The event was held at the Clark Street School, where previously this spring we had done a planting with students and the Worcester Forestry Department. 66 trees arrived from the nursery at 4pm and by 7pm they had all found new homes spread out across the city in peoples yards. The 66 day along with the rain checks and other two giveaway events brings the total number of trees given away this spring to over 200. We had a variety of tree species available today; crabapples, flowering pears, flowering plums, serviceberry, Red Oak, and Blackgum Tupelo. It is great to see people and families come to our event to take a 30 minute training on the proper way to plant a tree and then be able to go home with a tree that will help to transform the look of there yards. People who come to receive a tree range from having a ton of knowledge about trees to none at all, but everyone always says that they learn at least one new thing each time they take the training class. Everyone who comes for a tree has a story or reason why they want a tree. One man had 22 trees cut down down in his yard due to the Asian Longhorn Beetle infestation, and another person had trees cut down up and down their street. Each person has there own unique story, but everyone is always happy to take a tree home with them.

Yesterday we had a rain check day at the Green Hill Park Forestry Department. People who had already been trained this season were able to come and pick up trees that we had run out of or where unavailable at the Greendale YMCA giveaway event. We do our best to get everyone the tree that they envision for their yard.

Be sure to check out the story on the Channel 3 11pm news.

"The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree"- Stephen Wright

Good News!

This morning I found out that the Worcester Tree Initiative is going to match the funding that I received from the Barth Summer Internship Award from Clark University. I am very excited and thankful to both the Barth Summer Internship Award and WTI for supporting my work.

Today it's HOT, but that doesn't stop the determined tree initiative staff. We went out with our shovels in hand and planted a honeylocust at 5 King St. which is part of the Worcester housing resource commission (WHRC). It took use over an hour and a half to plant this tree, a project that should not take more than a half hour. The tree was extremely pot bound and all the roots had become entangled. In order for a tree to survive it is necessary to break apart the root ball when you take it out of the pot. We had to use every tool to try and break this solid root entanglement apart. But we managed to out smart the tree and it is now happily planted in the side yard of the 5 King St. apartment building.

We had a site visit today at Doherty High School, where we are going to work with there environmental club to plant ornamental trees along the front of the building later in June. It's exciting to work with kids in high school because they can really work to take ownership of the trees, truly help to plant them and also become even more involved with the Worcester Tree Initiative. I am also going to Forest Grove Middle School to take a look at trees we planted last Spring, a few of which had a rough Winter and did not survive. We are working with a teacher there to try and help them find replacement trees.

“For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.”--Martin Luther

May 24th

It's Monday!

Whenever we work with schools or community groups before we do the event we first must conduct a site visit. This morning we did two site visits one at Belmont Community School and another at Francis McGrath Elementary School, where we will be doing planting events in June. During the site visits we walked around with the principals talking to them about locations where they would want trees to be planted and discuss species that would work well in each location. Our goal is to plant trees at every school in Worcester. We also talk about which classes we will be working with and how many students will be involved. After a site visit it's my job to create the site plan. Using Google Earth I am able to find an image of the school and then using paint I place dots and label where each tree will go.


(This is the Francis McGrath Site Plan)

Wednesday night we are holding a rain check event, where people who were trained at our Greendale YMCA event can come and pick up trees, if we did not have the species that they requested. Much of the day was spent contacting people letting them know when the event was happening (Greenhill Park at the Forestry Dept.) and asking if they would be available to attend. We try to work with people to find a time that is convenient for them to pick up their trees.

We are holding our 3rd giveaway event of the spring on Thursday night at Clark St. School. People are able to preregister for a tree by emailing us (treewarden@treeworcester.org) and letting telling us that they are interested in getting a tree, what species it is that they are looking for and which event they will be able to attend. Information about which trees species are available is listed on our website www.treeworcester.org.

Watch a video of me at the Clark Sustainability Fair

"People who will not sustain trees will soon live in a world which cannot sustain people"-- Bryce Nelson

Welcome!

Hi my name is Maggie Small and I am the tree warden for the Worcester Tree Initiative. I started as a volunteer intern with WTI in September 2009 and throughout the year have fallen in love with the City of Worcester and the work of the Worcester Tree Initiative. This summer I received funding from the Barth Internship Award at Clark Univerisity which will allow me to continue my work.

The Worcester Tree Initiative is a private, non-profit effort to reforest the City of Worcester and surrounding communities. It was Initiated in January 2009 by Congressman Jim McGovern and Lt. Governor Tim Murray with the intent of planting 30,000 trees in Worcester and surrounding towns in the next 5 years. The Initiative is a public/private partnership between the City of Worcester, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the US Department of Agriculture, many local non-profits, businesses and residents of Central Massachusetts. The program includes intensive outreach, education and training, and long term tracking to realize significant environmental and quality of life improvements with this community based approach.

This spring we have already accomplished many great things:

With the help of the Worcester Forestry Department the week of April 26th - April 30th we worked with 8 Worcester Public Schools planting over 90 trees and educating over a 1,000 students on the proper way to plant a tree.

We have held two giveaway events and have two more to still host (May 27th and June 5th). At the giveaways we do a 30 minute demonstration on the proper way to plant a tree and then those who attend the event are able to take a tree home. We offer a variety of different tree species ornimental, shade and evergreen. In total we have already given away over 100 trees at giveaway events this spring.

We have also worked with community groups:

May 1st we planted 100 trees at Quinsigamond Community college with the help of volunteers from CSX, City Year, and Quinsigamond communtiy college.

With the help of volunteers from Clark University on "Just Do It Day" we planted 5 trees for the WHRC.

We have also done plantings at Great Brook Valley and May Flower Circle.

Upcoming events still to come this spring:

2 Giveaways (May 27th and June 5th) along with more schools and community events.

“For a tree to become tall it must grow tough roots among the rocks.”-- Friedrich Nietzche