2008 Fall RNeighborWoods Tree Grant

The below story was written by Jesse Hoekstra. Jesse loves trees! He has his forestry degree, is a certified Citizen Forester, volunteers in the RNeighborWoods program, and submitted a grant proposal for the 2008 Fall RNeighborWoods Tree Grant. His grant was accepted and now 30 new boulevard trees are beautifying the older Eastside neighborhood’s streets thanks to his community activism.

Keep an eye on this website for the 2009 Spring RNeighborWoods Tree Grant and apply for 30 new trees for your neighborhood!

Trees grow and become valuable neighbors.

RNeighborWoods Tree Grant winners planted 30 boulevard trees in the Eastside neighborhood on Saturday, October 4, 2008. Over 20 volunteers including Jacob Ryg, City Forester, and RNeighborWoods partners dug the holes and put the potted trees in the boulevards.

This tree planting brought together many neighbors from the Eastside Pioneers Neighborhood Association who have never met but share a common interest in beautifying their streets and neighborhood. Many volunteers had little tree planting experience and were excited to learn proper tree planting techniques from the Citizen Foresters. Young and old worked together smoothly to give these trees new homes.

The newly planted tree species consisted of Amur Maackia, Kentucy Coffee tree (Gymnocladus diocious), and Ginko Biloba. In older neighborhoods it is especially important to plant trees of different species and fill empty planting spaces. A wide variety of tree species and tree age are crucial to maintaining a healthy urban forest. With a little care these trees will grow and provide value, beyond beauty to the neighborhood.

In less than two hours all the trees were planted, mulched and staked. Afterward many of the volunteers shared thoughts about the day and stories from the neighborhood over pastries and bagels provided by Panera bread and Daube’s bakery.