April 11th, 2022
Dear Parents, Grand Parents, Guardians, Volunteers, Coordinators, Families, and Children,
Your trees are coming soon!
You are one of 30,000+ individuals that will be planting a tree during Earth Week (April 22-30). Most of you will be planting this tree with your child(ren) and / or family and friends.
Together, with your help and efforts, 40,000 trees will be planted in 48 states (including Canada) in just a couple of weeks!
You are part of one of the largest coordinated, volunteer, urban / residential tree planting projects – involving children – in North America!
We are thrilled that you are participating!
This email contains important information about your trees, including
1) Arrival information – trees will be available to you sometime during Earth Week (April 22-30). The Neighborhood Forest Coordinator at your school, library, youth group, or organization will be in touch with you about pick-up / send-home details as we get closer to Earth Day (April 22). If you do not hear from them or do not receive your trees by April 28th, please contact them and / or us to ensure that you receive your tree(s).
2) Species details – check out the 9 beautiful species we are shipping to different states and provinces across the continent! We aim to provide native trees in all the regions we serve.
3) Planting and Care Instructions – we are very pleased to have partnered with NuMinds Enrichment to create this lovely online, kid-friendly, engaging tutorial on planting and caring for your tree.
4) STEAM Curriculum – NuMinds has also created this wonderful 6-lesson “Science of Trees” curriculum (Grades K through 6+) to augment and enrich the tree planting and learning experience. Each purchase of the curriculum will fund 4 free trees for children next year!
5) The Neighborhood Forest Board Game – the geniuses at NuMinds have also created this amazing, new, original Neighborhood Forest Board Game! Fun for the whole family and / or classroom. This game takes participants on a journey of planting and growing their own Neighborhood Forest. With each purchase of the board game, you get the “Science of Trees” curriculum and 8 kids get free trees next year!
6) Share a picture on our Facebook page! Want to thank us? Please share photos of your kids with their trees – we love seeing and sharing the photos, which will eventually add to our growing library of “then and nows“. Thank you!
We are giving away 9 different species of trees in 48 states (including Canada) this year:
Douglas-fir
(Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming)
Eastern Redcedar
(Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio)
Hackberry
(Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Washington DC)
Incense Cedar
(Arizona, California, Nevada)
Red Maple
(Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia)
Southern Magnolia
(Texas)
Tamarack
(Alaska, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Wisconsin)
White Birch
(Massachusetts, Pennsylvania)
White Spruce
(Ontario, Canada)
These are all beautiful trees!
Pictures and descriptions of each species here.
Some key points to keep in mind:
1) Keep your tree in a cool, dark place (refrigerated for those in northern states) until you plant it
2) Protect your newly planted tree from wildlife and lawnmowers with a little fence and netting
3) Put some mulch around it
4) Water generously or in accordance with recommendations for your particular tree species
5) Please take a picture of your child(ren) with your newly planted tree (and share on our Facebook page, if you are comfortable) – watching your tree and kids grow together is a magical joy!
Finally, I want to say that these trees are small and vulnerable. Not all of them survive and that is Ok. It is a part of life and a part of the tree planting process. We do our part and then we have to leave the rest to Mother Nature. A lost tree seedling might break a child’s heart and there is a great lesson in this too. We mustn’t give up! We will keep sending you trees each year and we will keep on planting them.
I had to plant many trees before this one finally made it and reached maturity!
Thank you, again, for participating in Neighborhood Forest’s 13th annual free tree giveaway. We are excited to see all the smiling faces with their little trees!
Our program is made possible through generous donations and sponsorships. Check out our growing community of sponsors.
If you, an organization, a business, or someone you know would like to sponsor our program, please contact us or go to our GoFundMe campaign. We still have some funds to raise!
Thank you!
Happy Earth Day (4/22)
Happy Neighborhood Forest Day (4/26)
Happy Arbor Day (4/30)
Happy Earth Week (4/22-4/30)
Happy Spring!
Warmly,
Vikas and The Neighborhood Forest Team
