Community Tree Planting
by
by
Project Description
The goal of this project was to educate members of the community through a hands-on tree planting event, while adding beneficial trees and shrubs to the Sugar Pond area of Hillside Woods. The trees, shrubs, and planting locations were chosen based on soil conditions near Sugar Pond, with an aim to help mitigate flooding and increase climate resilience and carbon sequestration. The project also beautifies a beloved and frequently used Hastings landmark.
Outputs
25 elementary school students given tree-planting education through experience at Sugar Pond
20 high school students given the opportunity to help youth of Hastings and learn about tree planting
2 areas around Sugar Pond addressed, by two different-aged populations of students
2 Sweet bay magnolia trees planted
8 Swamp white oak trees planted
2 Tupelo trees planted
4 Arctic tip dogwood shrubs planted
6 Spicebush shrubs planted
Outcomes
As a result of giving 25 elementary school students tree-planting education and experience in a familiar place, these kids will get to watch the trees grow and feel a connection to them. Their familiarity will encourage them to care for the trees they planted and hopefully their broader environment in future.
Many of the young kids were Girl Scouts, and they earned a badge for their work.
As a result of the high school students planting 12 trees and 10 shrubs, the stream bank below Sugar Pond will be more stabilized and the area will be more resilient to future climatic shifts.
The high school volunteers can also take pride in having contributed their efforts to the ecosystem, gained experience and mentorship, learned about the ecosystem and aesthetic values of trees, and benefited from teaching younger children about the environment.
The plantings will increase carbon sequestration.
Process:
1. Brainstormed project ideas
2. Communicated with Haven Colgate and Taro Ietaka to determine the location for trees and shrubs and specific species to purchase. This included two walkthroughs of Sugar Pond.
3. Got permission from the Village to plant in the Sugar Pond area and host the event
4. Continued planning with Hastings Youth Council and Hastings Kids board.
5. Purchased trees, tools and supplies for the planting day
6. Arranged for delivery of large trees
7. Promoted the event to Hillside families
8. Created a Google Form to recruit high school volunteers, which we posted on Hastings KIDS and NHS classroom pages
9. Pre-dug some holes to make it easier for youngest children to participate
10. Created “how to” tree planting instructions for children and families to follow
11. Created an educational list of benefits of planting trees to display at the event
12. Ordered pizza to be distributed during the event
13. Supervised children and volunteers during the community tree-planting event
14. Protected trees and shrubs by building enclosures and placing tubes around trees
15. Created sign-up sheet for high school volunteers to continue watering the trees and shrubs in the coming months
Lessons Learned
I learned that young people have an interest in improving their local environment.
I learned that it is important to create organized sign-up sheets and educational materials to display at an event.
I learned to send out reminder texts and emails to volunteers before the day of the event including recommendations on what to bring.
I learned many tips and tricks about planting trees, including breaking up the root ball and filling the hole with water before planting.
Students Involved
1 Project leader aged 15-24
48 Total project participants (excluding leaders)
26 Project participants aged 15-24 (excluding leaders)
Before: Site of sweet bay magnolia trees
Trees placed and ready to be planted
Digging holes and placing magnolia trees with the elementary school students
Planted tree protected from deer
During: Table set up at entrance to Sugar Pond
Customized watering bucket
After: Some of the Hillside helpers with one of the planted magnolia trees!
Planting area below the pond
During: Trees being prepared for planting
Before: Site for swamp white oak and tupelo trees
High school volunteers at work planting the trees
After: 8 swamp white oak and 2 tupelo trees planted and tubed
Thank You's
Thank you to Haven Colgate for helping me plan and communicate throughout the project, and for helping during the day of the event. Thank you to Taro Ietaka, Assistant Director of Conservation at Westchester County Parks, for giving advice on which trees to plant and where; to Aaron Podhurst, Hastings-on-Hudson Superintendent of Parks, for granting me permission to use the Sugar Pond area; and to Hastings Mayor Nicola Armacost for supporting the project. Thank you to Lori Walsh of Hastings Youth Council for helping me organize the event for the younger children, and for helping at the event. Thank you to Kareem Ghalib and Erik Ghalib for helping with project work and organization. Thank you to all of the high school students who volunteered to help run the event, making it a huge success! And thank you to Bloomberg Philanthropies for providing funding for this project.