2007 Fall RNeighborWoods Planting
Planters from the Willow Creek after school program.There was green everywhere on Saturday, October 27, 2007.
Green T-shirts, green trees, green thumbs, and even green wood chip buckets.
As part of national NeighborWoods Month, school and service groups, neighbors, families, RNeighborWoods partners, Rochester volunteers, and Citizen Foresters showed up in-force to plant 100 trees on Marion Road.
Planters were greeted by RNeighbors board members and friends. They were supplied with refreshments compliments of BP BP Pump N’ Munch Convenience Stores, given Kelly green shirts compliments of our fall sponsors, and bright orange tool belts compliments of the Home Depot Foundation and the Alliance for Community Trees.
When we snapped the first group photo there were about 200 participants. Jacob Ryg, the City Forester then demonstrated the correct way to plant a tree. The tree planting started, and then…down the sidewalk walked about 50 helpful smiles. This group was a Somali after-school class from a Marion Road apartment complex. They showed up, eager to plant some trees and beautify their neighborhood.
RPU supplied the orange safety cones that lined Marion Road. Led by RNeighborWoods certified Citizen Foresters, a certified Arborist from Maier Forest & Tree, and the City Forester, this team put in the ground Accolade Elm, Amur Maackia, Hackberry, Kentucky Coffeetree, and Ginkgo trees. These trees were purchased by the City of Rochester and will not grow into the power lines above, nor are they susceptible to the current tree predators, such as the Emerald Ash Borer . Each tree was then watered at least once by a Olmsted County water truck, assisted by a local youth.
People from all walks of life came together to plant these trees. In all, over 260 community members came out to participate in this official Year of the Family event, including lots of families. Look through the colorful photos in our gallery.
As an RNeighborWoods partner, the Olmsted County Youth Commission was out in full force with over 60 students eager and willing. Students from many area elementary, middle schools and high schools participated, outnumbering adults by about 3 to 1. Kids from Many Rivers Juvenile Treatment facility were on the scene at 8:30 am to assist with the event set up and were the last group to leave.
“Thanks to RNeighbors , the City of Rochester, and RPU for coordinating this great project,” said Mary Gorfine, Olmsted County Youth Commission Coordinator. “And for understanding that the influence of caring adults in the lives of children is a make or break issue for the future of those young people – and a make or break issue for the continued economic and social success of our community. All children have promise – and no where was it more evident than on Saturday morning along Marion Road.”
Why did we want to plant trees? Because, as the planting t-shirts said “Trees make good neighbors”. Over 50 years, an urban tree provides an estimated $273 a year in reduced costs for air conditioning, erosion control, stormwater control, air pollution, and wildlife shelter (source: Friends of Trees website). Now the Marion Road neighborhood can reap the benefits!
Thanks to our fall RNeighborWoods events, there are now an additional 10,995 feet of tree lined boulevards in Rochester neighborhoods. All of the RNeighborWoods partners thank you for your active participation and encourage you to actively care for our urban forest by either attending our next planting, learning more about the importance of trees, taking the next Citizen Forester class, or talking to your city and county representative to tell them that you feel trees are important.
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