ReTree the District Mid-Project Review by University Heights Tool Library

RETREE THE DISTRICT

MID-PROJECT

REVIEW

ReTree the District is a collaborative project of community partners in Buffalo’s University District that is working to plant 1,000 trees across the community. The project is reinvesting in our urban tree canopy and strengthening ties among neighbors.

PHASE I & II SUMMARY

435 625 2,500 89%

Trees Planted Volunteers Engaged Service Hours Survival Rate

To learn more visit: ourheights.org/retree

We’re not just planting trees. We’re building community!

RETREE THE DISTRICT

PROGRESS REPORT Retree the District Phase I & II

Started in early 2014, ReTree the District has made great strides toward its goal of planting 1000 trees across University District in two years. Between Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 plantings, 435 trees have been planted on the residential streets between Main Street, Bailey Avenue, and Eggert Road. The project has already brought over 1000 volunteers to the neighborhoods in University District, raised over $20,000 to purchase trees, and has supported the development of many partnerships and collaborations within the community. ReTree the District is also becoming known for its experimental use of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;digital toolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to support project planning and implementation. ReTree the District allows its decisions to be driven by the data collected through the innovative use of community mapping, SMS-based volunteer coordination, and digital troubleshooting. Drawing on the benefits derived from close collaboration and data-driven decision-making, ReTree the District has developed a new tree stewardship program that has begun to expand beyond University District in into the rest of the City of Buffalo. At this mid-point of the project, this report provides an overview of what ReTree the District has accomplished so far, and how it plans to continue improving operations, volunteer experiences, and tree survival rates through the second half of the initiative.

435 TREES PLANTED

out of a

1,000 TREE GOAL

AN INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY ReTree the District has benefitted from the support of over 1,000 volunteers, approximately 600 of which have assisted on planting days in Fall 2014 and Spring 2015. The remaining volunteers have assisted the project with community mapping, obtaining

property owner permission, and other tasks like tree unloading and distribution. The value of volunteer hours on planting days alone exceeds $67,650. Learning from volunteer requirements observed in the Fall 2014 planting; Spring 2015 project organizers were able

to reduce the number of volunteers needed from 350 to 250 while expanding the number of trees planted from 185 to 250.

Value of Volunteer Hours Phase I

Phase II

Total

350

250

600

Service Hours/Volunteer

Total Volunteer Hours

1,750

1,000

2,750

*Value of Volunteer Hours

$39,463

$23,070

$62,533

Volunteers Engaged

*The estimated value of volunteer time for 2013 is $22.55 per hour according to Independent Sector.

While 175 tools were used in the Fall 2014 planting, the Spring 2015 planting employed 202 tools. These included large quantities of spades, sledgehammers, mattocks, metal rakes, push brooms, and stake

pounders. Over the course of two planting days, over $5000 worth of tools have been used in support of ReTree the District ($3,150 in 2014; $1,920 in 2015). Through the Tool Library, these tools are now

available for use by groups across Western New York.

Value of Shared Resources

Tools Used Service Hours Total Tool Use Hours *Value of Tools Used

Phase I

Phase II

Total

175

202

875

808

1,683

$2,200

$2,850

$5,050

*Value based on cost of tool as purchased new RETREE THE DISTRICT | Mid-Project Review

WHERE DID WE PLANT? ReTree the District Phase I & II Planting Area

Northrup 2 Trees

A total of 435 trees were planted during the Phase I & Phase II plantings. These plantings spanned across fourteen streets in University District. Thirteen different species of trees were selected for these plantings. To date, the survival rate for the first half of ReTree the DIstrict is 89% (387 trees).

WHAT DID WE PLANT?

RT H

LA CE

Hybrid Elm

Northern Red Oak

Hedge Maple

Freeman Maple

Honey Locust

Littleleaf Linden

English Oak

London Plane

Ginkgo

Serviceberry

Japenese Lilac

Cortland Apple

ST R

Trees Listed by Common Names

Triumph Elm

7 10

Englewood

15 Trees

Highgate 34 Trees

[Not pictured on map]

2 2

Lisbon

44 Trees

74 Trees

University Heights Tool Library

3 2

Minnesota

LaSalle

31 Trees

1 1

Winspear 29 Trees

Rounds

14 Trees

Shirley

45 Trees

3 3

2 8

WINSPEAR AVENUE

HIGHGATE AVEN

HIGHGATE AVENUE

LISBON AVEN

ROUNDS AVENUE

MINNESOTA

LISBON AVENUE

AVENUE

39 Trees

MINNESOTA AVENUE

LASALLE AV

BAILEY AVENUE

ENUE

SHIRLEY AVEN

DARTMOUTH

Dartmouth

AVENUE

LASALLE AVENUE SHIRLEY AVENUE DARTMOUTH AVENUE

1 1

HEWITT AVENUE STOCKBRIDGE AVENUE

Hewitt

BERKSHIRE AVENUE

28 Trees

EAST AMHERST STREET

3 5

4 Trees

Stockbridge

Berkshire

East Amherst 3

12 Trees

16 Trees

8 RETREE THE DISTRICT | Mid-Project Review

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST? Survival Rates by Species Planted in larger quantities, four species have had relatively high survival rates in University District (Northern Red Oak, Serviceberry, Freeman Maple, and Japanese Tree Lilac). The City of Buffalo Division of Parks and Recreation suggests future plantings prioritize species with survival rates of 80% and higher.

SPECIES

COMMON NAME

TYPE

TOTAL

ALIVE

SURVIVAL RATE

Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo

Alien

Ulmus 'Morton Glossy'

Triumph

Hybrid

Plantanus x acerifolia

London Plane

Hybrid

Quercus robur

English Oak

Alien

Tilia cordata

Littleleaf Linden

Alien

Syringa reticulata

Japanese Lilac

Alien

Gleditsia triacanthos inermis

Honey Locust

Native

Acer x freemannii

Freeman Maple

Native

Acer campestre

Hedge Maple

Alien

Amelanchier x grandiflora

Serviceberry

Native

Quercus rubra

Northern Red Oak

Native

Malus 'Cortland' Semi-dwf

Cortland Apple

Native

Ulmus x spp.

Hybrid Elm

Hybrid

17 10 47 38 10 115 13 55 15 79 29 5 2 435

10 7 38 31 9 105 12 51 14 75 28 5 2 387

58.8 70.0 80.9 81.6 90.0 91.3 92.3 92.7 93.3 94.9 96.6 100.0 100.0 89.0

TOTAL

Survival Rates by Street Five streets had relatively high survival rates, while LaSalle Avenue and Stockbridge Avenue had the lowest survival rates. The target streetby-street survival rate has been set at 80%.

STREET

TOTAL

ALIVE

SURVIVAL RATE

LaSalle

42 21 15 5 85 51 38 30 41 46 30 15 2 14 435

31 16 12 4 74 45 34 28 39 44 29 15 2 14 387

73.8 76.2 80.0 80.0 87.1 88.2 89.5 93.3 95.1 95.6 96.7 100.0 100.0 100.0 89.0

Stockbridge Berkshire East Amherst Minnesota Shirley Highgate Hewitt Dartmouth Lisbon Winspear Englewood Northrup Rounds

ALL

Survival Rates by Phase

University Heights Tool Library

PHASE Fall 2014 Spring 2015

ALL

TOTAL

ALIVE

SURVIVAL RATE

214 221 435

193 194 387

90.2 87.8 89.0

INNOVATION & COLLABORATION EXPERTISE & FUNDRAISING MATCH | Buffalo Green Fund ReTree the District has partnered with the Buffalo Green Fund (BGF), an organization overseeing the implementation of the broader ReTreeWNY initiative. BGF has supported the project with technical assistance, purchasing support, and representation on the citywide Tree Committee. During a recent fundraising campaign, BGF also provided a 100% match for all funds raised for ReTree the District.

GROW716 & DIGITAL INNOVATION | Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo The Grow716 texting platform has been provided free-of-charge to ReTree the District by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo (CFGB). The SMS-based system is being used to develop effective â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;digital toolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for volunteer recruitment, operational coordination, and real-time troubleshooting in the field. The University Heights Tool Library (UHTL) and CFGB are now exploring ways in which texting can be used more generally to enhance nonprofit capacity.

TOOLS & MATERIALS | Keep WNY Beautiful and ReTreeWNY When ReTree the District needed an extraordinary set of tools for over 350 volunteers, two prominent organizations answered the call. Both Keep WNY Beautiful and ReTreeWNY have donated their tools to the University Heights Tool Library in support of community tree plantings and other neighborhood-based initiatives. The UHTL will make these tools available year-round to community groups and block clubs through its digital inventory management system.

STUDENT LEADERS & VOLUNTEERS | UB Honors College and UB Academies Preparing for and planting 435 trees requires a considerable number of volunteers willing to pick up new skills and learn on the fly. Together, the UB Honors College and UB Academies have shared over 150 student leaders with ReTree the District. These student volunteers have organized planting-day logistics and communications, led community mapping exercises, and served as Team Leaders for both the Fall and Spring plantings. Students from these University units gain valuable leadership experiences and are now choosing to live in University District.

SERVICE LEARNING & EFFICIENCY STUDY | Institute of Industrial Engineers ReTree the District has been successful in providing valuable real-world service learning experiences to members of the Institute of Industrial Engineers at UB. Members of this student-led club collected data and evaluated operational efficiency and effectiveness of ReTree the District. Their recommendations are being implemented in the second half of the project.

RETREE THE DISTRICT | Mid-Project Review

“

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” - Greek Proverb

PHASE III PLANTING DAY

NOVEMBER 7, 2015

PRACTICE PLANTING DAY

OCTOBER 31, 2015

GET INVOLVED

To learn more or sign up to get involved visit www.ourheights.org/retree or text RETREE to 877-877

Volunteer

Be a Leader

Adopt a Tree

Donate

Help us plant 1,000 trees across University District by joining our spring and fall planting days.

Lead a team of volunteers and learn the ins and outs of planting and caring for trees.

Have a tree planted for free in front of your home or property.

Your money will go directly toward purchasing the tools and trees to make this project a reality.

#retreethedistrict