What can we organise under the trees?
Answers
If your Club would like to organize a tree planting project, here are some guidelines to consider:
Is there a special event or anniversary that you would like to commemorate, or do you want to plant trees for Earth Day or Arbor Day?
Where will you plant trees? If your club is lucky enough to own its own clubhouse with some land attached, there may be a place for a special tree. If one of your members owns land or knows someone locally who owns land, that may be a place where new trees would be welcome.
If you are organizing a private tree planting project, you will need to raise funds to purchase the tree(s). A specimen tree will be more expensive, and you may want to work with a nursery which will transport the tree and do the actual planting, so you would simply arrange a celebration. When FAWCO held its conference in Washington DC in 2000, we raised $250 at the conference to purchase a cherry tree which we planted in the Tidal Basin at the close of the conference. Small saplings or bare root trees are relatively inexpensive.
Alternatively, contact the local Forestry Department in your city. Make an appointment to meet the Chief Forester and explain Forester plantingthat Bucket and holeyou are interested in their tree planting plans. You need to work with an organization that owns or manages land, so you can be certain that the trees you plant will be cared for and will thrive. A big advantage of this is that the Forestry Department will provide the saplings and there will be people on hand to show you how to plant the trees. In the Forêt de Soignes plant-a-thons, the Forestry Department workers prepared the planting holes with the backfill next to them, demonstrated the planting technique, and provided both saplings and shovels. Three people could plant each tree: even a little child could hold the tree in the planting hole while two adults or older children shoveled in the backfill. Different Forestry Departments may have other methods of planting: MetroParks in Toledo ask volunteers to create a slit with the shovel, insert the sapling and tamp into place. This is much quicker but may not have such good results and may be more difficult for older adults or children – check in advance.
You can also contact other organizations such as The Woodland Trust in England or Trees For Life in Scotland which own land and organize regular tree planting projects. They will also provide the small trees and usually the shovels and will accompany your group. Such a project might be an additional excuse for a day out to a beautiful part of Planting cherry tree in Washington DC 2001 cropped
the countryside followed by a picnic or lunch at a café. Most of the planting arrangements are taken care of and you just have to organize the volunteers on the day, a task at which FAWCO clubs excel!
Make sure to document your project and take lots of photos. You will also want to go back to the planting site regularly in spring to enjoy seeing the little trees as they grow.
Each tree planting project will be unique to your club but will be a meaningful experience. You will meet interesting people and will learn about the geography and climate of your adopted land. You will learn what trees thrive there and you may be lucky enough to experience the creation of new woodland which changes and beautifies the landscape!