Trees! Trees! Trees! by Maureen Tate n Saturday, March 19, Cedar O Park Neighbors teamed up with Cross Baltimore Tree Tenders and UC Green for yet another ground breaking (literally) tree planting extravaganza. Twenty trees were planted in the CPN Crossroad Project zone at 49th and Florence, involving residents and investment properties on the 700 and 800 blocks of S. 49th Street and 4800 and 4900 blocks of Florence Avenue. We thank our investment neighbors of Neighborhood Restorations, Inc. and Ironstone for their enthusiastic participation. The earth will be breathing easier with the removal of over 400 square feet of concrete! Thanks to Cross Baltimore Tree Tenders Angie Coghlan, Johannah Fine, Marianne and John Valentino for their coordination efforts and to all volunteers for your spirit and labor!
Aside from their natural beauty trees are serious business. Thanks to Amanda Benner, director of UC Green, for providing the following facts to help us appreciate the enormous financial and health benefits of these giant beauties in our midst. Over the course of 50 years, a single tree can contribute $162,250 to the “currency of the environment” by: ~ generating $31,250 of oxygen; ~ providing $62,000 towards air pollution control; ~ recycling $37,500 worth of water; and ~ controlling $31,500 worth of soil erosion! For more information you can visit UCGreen at: www.ucgreen.org Thank you for your commitment to creating a healthy and beautiful environment!
Spring Tree Tender Training, 2005 When and Where? Wednesdays, April 27, May 4 & May 11 5:45-8:45 p.m. Pennsylvania Horticulatural Society, 100 N. 20th St, 5th Floor Sat, May 7th, 10-2 p.m. “Picnic with a Purpose” in Clark Park, tree plantings by Tree Tenders during the Spruce Hill May Fair
What and Why? Tree Tenders, part of the Philadelphia Green program of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, was created to train community groups and individuals to plant and care for trees in the city. Basic training consists of sessions about theory, practical information and hands on experience. Continuing education workshops are held regularly for graduates. Tree Tender groups receive special information about opportunities for acquiring street trees and funding greening activities for their neighborhoods. Currently there are over 1400 Tree Tenders from 100 Philadelphia communities who are tending our urban forest.
While Cedar Park and University City have a most respectable number of Tree Tenders and active Tree Tender Groups, we always need more recruits to take the course, both to form new groups in “new territories,” as well as to rejuvenate older groups. Without this renewal process, we can't successfully make the case that citizen volunteers are really in place in our community to plant and care for new street and park trees that may become available in the future. All participants who attend each of the 4 training classes of the Spring series (the next will be in Fall, 2005) will receive a Tree Tender ID card and T-shirt. Groups (4 or more people from a neighborhood, who attend all four sessions) will receive a set of Tree Care tools. The classes are taught by Philadelphia Green staff, as well as other private, educational and government experts. Free. Requires pre-registration at www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org Check under “Philadelphia Green” And, free pizza is on the menu!!! March 2005
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