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